The Chinese magazine "Tianjin Youth" raised three questions in 1908: When will a Chinese athlete compete in the Olympics? When will China send a team of athletes to the Olympics? When will China host the Olympics?

China, whose sporting power is highlighted by a third-place overall finish in the Sydney Olympics with a haul of 28 gold medals, now has the last question to answer: When to host the Olympics?

Having lost the 2000 Games by two votes, Beijing keeps pursuing the Olympic dream with a shot at the 2008 Games, competing against Paris, Toronto, Osaka and Istanbul.

Beijing reaffirmed their strong Olympic aspirations on Wednesday when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) evaluation commission started their four-day assessment of the city.

"Welcome to the capital of the world most populous country," Liu Qi, Beijing Mayor and President of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Bidding Committee, opened his address to the IOC inspectors.

He said Beijing will leave an everlasting legacy to the Olympic Movement by hosting the 2008 Games.

"The Games will be a catalyst for broader exchanges between the 1.3 billion Chinese people and the rest of the world," Liu said.

"The Olympic Ideal will reach unprecedented popularity and boost a new integration between the cultures of the East and West. "

He stressed that Beijing has the resources, abilities and confidence to put on the most memorable and outstanding Games.

"We have strong support from Beijing residents and all of China, full support and guarantees from the Central Government, experience in hosting major events," he said.

"We also have strong financial capabilities, supported by the Central Government, vibrant economic growth and adequate sponsorships. We will invite national sports management professionals and international experts with Olympic experience to team up in the organization."

The evaluation commission chief Hein Verbruggen said that his team are looking forward to an Olympics as good as the Sydney Games.

"We want an Olympic Games that is absolutely up to the level of what we have seen in Sydney, as we all know, the best Games as declared by our president (of IOC)," he said.

"Our evaluation commission is to make assessment and check the facts. We could do that together, we see it as joint efforts, not from one side to the other but from both sides."

(People's Daily 02/21/01)