The official mascot for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will be announced on November 12th, and the Tibetan Antelope is recognized by many people as the best choice, said Cega, director of the Hol Xil Nature Reserve Administration, in northwest China's Qinghai Province on Friday.

 

The 29th Olympic Games, slated for August 2008, has drew attention, support and participation from all the country. The announcement of the mascot has been delayed over again for the fierce competition among the candidates of the mascot and the modification of the designs created for those animals.

 

Besides the Tibetan Antelope, the other major candidates are the giant panda, the Chinese tiger, the golden monkey and the red-crowned crane.

 

But the Tibetan Antelope is now leading in the campaign of the bid for the Beijing Olympic mascot, according to the latest internet survey.

 

The Tibetan Antelope lives in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau at an altitude between 4,000 and 5,500 meters above the sea level. The animal portrays the Olympic spirit very well because its speed can reach as fast as 100 kilometers per hour.

 

As the hometown of the candidate Tibetan Antelope, Qinghai Province in northwest China is pulling out all the stops to get the plateau animal chosen.

 

"The postponed result of the campaign let us have more enough time to seek for more support to the bid. We will do our best to make the Tibetan Antelope become the Olympic mascot," said Cega.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2005)