Preparatory work for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games entered a new stage on Friday with the appointment of the first batch of teams that will run each venue.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) announced teams for 13 competition venues.

These include the National Stadium, the fencing hall and Workers' Stadium, as well as five non-competition venues, including the Olympic village, Beijing Capital Airport and the main press centre.

The members of each team include the venue manager and deputy mangers, who will look after the events, security, the media and other aspects of the Games.

"Setting up the first group of teams is a milestone," said Liu Jingmin, BOCOG executive vice-president and vice-mayor of Beijing.

"The teams will be enlarged as the Olympic Games comes nearer."

According to Liu, before the Games, the teams will be in charge of making plans and collocating necessary materials for the competition.

During the Games, they will take charge of overall operations within each venue.

It is estimated that more than 90 percent of problems will be solved by the teams.

Another important part of the Games' operation, the recruitment of volunteers, will start on August 28, according to BOCOG on Friday.

According to officials, the online application system and toll-free hotline will be up and running when the recruitment begins.

Students in colleges and universities in Beijing can apply at recruitment centres set up on campus, while ordinary Beijing residents can apply through the online application system or by mail.

BOCOG will also entrust certain other institutions to deal with personal applications.

Applicants in other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China can apply to the institutions designated by the local committees of the Communist Youth League of China.

People from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreigners who live or work in Beijing, can also apply.

People who live or work outside Beijing can apply through the BOCOG online application system, which is being run in line with international practices and Olympic rules.

The recruitment for volunteers from other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will start in December.

It is estimated that around 70,000 and 30,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games respectively.

(China Daily August 19, 2006)