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Beijing has launched a huge campaign after being chosen August
28 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as one of the five
finalists including Paris, Toronto, Osaka, and Istanbul bidding
for hosting the 2008 Olympics. Reliable sources say a US$ 20m budget
will be spent on Beijing's 2008 bid.
2008 Olympic bid has already become a mass mobilization drive calling
for an active part by every Chinese in China, including those in
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, said Liu Jingmin in HK Thursday, who
is vice mayor of the capital and vice-executive chairman of Beijing
2008 Olympic Bid Committee.
Thursday morning saw Mayor Liu Qi briefed HKSAR executive chief
Tung Chee Hwa on Beijing's 2008 Olympic bid. Tung, in turn, expressed
on behalf of Hong Kong people their ardent support for Beijing's
Olympic bid.
Though China had lost to Sydney in 2000 Olympic bid, it has full
confidence in winning the 2008 Olympics bid. This is because Beijing
has many advantages, said Mayor Liu. First, China is fully backed
by a population of as many as over 1.2bn in its Olympic bid. Second,
twenty years' reform and opening has immensely advanced China's
economic construction showing huge market potential. On the frontlines
of modernization construction, Beijing will help give the fullest
play to the role and spirit of 2008 Olympics. Third, Beijing is
a metropolis with a long history and time-honored culture, which
can effectively push Oriental/Occidental cultural exchanges. Fourth,
Chinese athletes' top-form performance in Sydney demonstrates China's
strength in developing world sports. Fifth, of the five finalists,
some have been made host of Olympic Games more than once; in contrast,
China hasn't yet been given a chance. This will also benefit Beijing
from a view of fairness in opportunities.
However, being a finalist from developing countries, Beijing will
surely encounter many unfavorable factors, such as comparatively
backward infrastructure and lack of understanding by international
community, Liu pointed out. But after eight years' strenuous effort
made for infrastructure construction Beijing will still be in a
position, as is going to be shown by an IOC Moscow vote early coming
year, to have the fullest competence and ability to host a new high-level
Olympiad, he said.
(People's Daily 11/03/2000)
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