Also present to celebrate the exhibition's opening was Marjan Cencen, Slovenia's ambassador to China. Slovenia currently holds the EU presidency, with its term set to end on June 30.

"The EU presidency is approaching its final days, and it's my pleasure to present to the Chinese, and to the international public here today, one more cultural event," he said.

Among the works featured are photographs by Monique Velzeboer, a short track speed skating gold medalist at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. In 1993, she suffered a training accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Despite her injury, she has gone on to become a successful photographer. At the exhibition, she represented her native Netherlands.

Mr. Marjan Cencen, Slovenian ambassador to China, at the inauguration

Also included were photographs of Chinese athletes from the 1952 Helsinki Games. There were snapshots of the country's athletic delegation arrival, the team's flag-raising ceremony and a picture of the men's football team.

Jen Ebeling, a photographer from Hanover, Germany, whose works comprised that country's contribution to the exhibition, traveled to nine countries around the globe to gather photographs of adolescent athletes. His work featured two pictures of each athlete. The first was a close-up portrait of their face, the other a shot of the whole body so the viewer could see what sport they played.

Photograph by Monique Velzeboer

Ebeling felt that bringing each athlete out alone, away from the team where he sought acceptance, and without giving him a chance to choose his clothes or style his hair at a time when appearance is so important, was a critical element in his photographs.

Along with the photographs, each participating nation has information, in Chinese and English, about the photographer or the subjects who were photographed to help provide context to the visitors.

Ambassador Cencen of Slovenia said he hoped that the exhibition would contribute to the mood of the city as the games approached and help "strengthen the philosophy of the Olympic spirit."

The photography exhibition will run from June 21 to July 4, 2008, at the Beijing Gehua Tower free of charge.