The XXIX Olympic Games in 2008 Beijing

With the dream of uniting the world around the Olympic Rings in 2008, the Beijing Olympic Games has a new slogan -- One World, One Dream. Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) had hoped the focus of the new slogan would shift from the city itself to the Olympic Spirit of unity, friendship and progress and traditional Chinese cultural value of harmony and peace.

Olympic Games in China to spur more arrivals to Thailand 08/02/2008 According to Qantas and British Airways, Thailand will receive more tourist arrivals from Europe and Australia this year owing to the Olympic Games in China. Thailand is conveniently located between Australia, Europe and China, and Qantas and ... New Beijing Terminal 3 for Air China 01/01/2008 Starting in March 2008, Air China will begin using the newly constructed Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital Airport. Terminal 3 is China?s largest investment project for any airport and will serve as the main supporting building for the Beijing 2008 ... SAS increases Flights to Beijing 28/11/2007 SAS Scandinavian Airlines is increasing its service between Scandinavia and Beijing. A daily service between Copenhagen and Beijing was introduced last month and early next year, SAS will also further increase frequency on its Stockholm-Beijing ... Accor adds an further 62 hotels to China's network 04/10/2007 Global hotel group, Accor, has signed an additional 62 new hotels for China to be open or under construction by 2010, with 3 hotels to open in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. These three hotels will include the Novotel, the Ibis Phoenix Plaza ... Hilton Hotels Corporation to open Hilton Wangfujing Beijing for The Olympic Games 2008 07/09/2007 Hilton Hotels Corporation, has signed an agreement with Beijing Macau Development Company Limited to manage the Hilton Wangfujing Beijing. Scheduled to open before the Olympic Games in 2008, it will be the newest deluxe hotel offering in the ...

The Olympic History

The history of the Olympic Games is divided in two parts, the games that started before Christ and the birth of the modern Olympics.

Today the Olympic Games is the most important and largest sporting event in the world. It is called "the longest lasting social activity that exists" and is followed by billions of spectators around the world. The modern Olympics have been growing constantly and new sports have been added to fit the needs of people. In the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 there were 311 participants (athletes and officials) from 13 countries. The Sydney 2000 Games were the largest ever with 199 countries and 15.300 participants. The 10.651 athletes (4.069 women and 6.582 men) in Sydney were competing in 300 events. Add to these figures the 46.967 volunteers in Sydney and you have the world’s biggest event that last in 14 days.

The Olympic Games are a reference for many young sports men and women! One important cornerstone is to strengthen the healthy image of the Olympics and sports! Therefore the International Olympic Committee (IOC) fights a constant war against doping and has for example also banned all sponsoring and publicity by the tobacco industry in connection with the Games!

Olympic Cities in 2008

Beijing is the host city of the 29th Olympic Games but there will be six cities outside Beijing that also will host the Olympic Games in 2008. The Olympic Sailing Regatta competition will take place in the city of Qingdao, the Equestrian Events in Hong Kong and the Olympic Football (soccer) will take place in the cities of Quinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang and Tianjin.

Qingdao (Sailing events)

In this beautiful coastal city in the Shandong province will a new International Sailing Center and Qingdao International Yacht Club host the Olympic Sailing Regatta. A few weeks in September will sailing lovers from all over the world pay extra attention to Qingdao.

Hotels in Qingdao

Hong Kong (Equestrian events)

The equestrian events of the 2008 Olympics will take place in Hong Kong. The city has world-class equine facilities and a population of 7 million and consists of the Hong Kong Island, New Territories, Kowloon Peninsula and more than 260 islands. Hong Kong features a sub-tropical climate and is situated at China's south-eastern coastline.

Hong Kong Travel - Hotels, Sightseeing Tours, Attractions, Information

Quinhuangdao (Football (soccer) events)

This city in Hebei province is the only city in China that is named after an emperor, Qinshi Huang of the Qin Dynasty. Like Qingdao the city is a coastal city with a busy port and a seaside resort. The football games will take place in the newly constructed Qinhuangdao Olympic Center Stadium.

Hotels in Qinhuangdao

Shanghai (Football (soccer) events)

This world metropolis will have nine football matches in the Shanghai Stadium and the Hongkou stadium that was opened in 1999 and is the first stadium in China only built for football. The Shanghai Stadium with 55.000 seats will be renovated to fulfil all needs.

Shanghai City Guide

Shenyang (Football (soccer) events)

This city is in the Lianoing Province. The connections to the coastal city Dalian will in 2008 be perfect which means that football fans from all over the world also can go to the coast for vacation. The football matches will take place in Shenyang’s Wulihe Stadium.

Hotels in Shenyang

Tianjin (Football (soccer) events)

Placed in Tianjin Province at the Yangtze River this city also has a big port and is another wonder of how Chinese cities have been modernized. The football games will take place in the newly built Tianjin Olympic that will seat 60.000 spectators.

Hotels in Tianjin

Recommended Hotels in Beijing

Beijing promised an affordable Olympics in 2008 with the announcement today of ticket prices that are as low as a tenth of those charged at the last games in Athens.

The majority of spectators will pay no more than 100 yuan (£7) to watch the world’s best athletes under a ticketing policy that reflects the low average income of the planet’s most populous nation.

The first of 7m tickets will go on sale next year. At the bird’s nest stadium, executive seats for the opening ceremony will cost 5,000 yuan - about half the most expensive rate in Greece two years ago.

At less prestigious events, tickets will be available for as little as 30 yuan, a tenth of the lowest rate in Athens. Fourteen percent of the seats will be reserved for students.

For the millions of farmers still living on less than 50 pence a day, a visit to the capital to watch a live event will still be a significant expense. But for most city dwellers, the prices are well within their incomes. According to the National Statistics Bureau, the average monthly wage for an urban Beijing resident last year was 2,500 yuan.

In a statement, the International Olympic Committee said the Beijing organisers "has found an affordable ticketing program which will maximize the opportunity for the Chinese public to enjoy the games, whilst balancing with interest from the international community".

While other Olympic hosts have stressed the importance of making a profit, for China, the games in 2008 are about a lot more than making money. They are seen as a coming-of-age party for the world's fastest growing major economy.

In bidding for the games, Beijing forecast a modest operating profit of $19m on revenues of $1,625bn, mostly from sponsorship and the sale of broadcast rights. Outside of this budget, the government is spending tens of billions of dollars on a huge face lift for the city, including new stadiums, roads, railways and the world’s biggest airport terminal.

The ticket prices compare well with concerts for big rock stars, but they are still considerably above those for football matches. The cheapest tickets for Beijing Gua’an - the capital’s top team - are just 10 rmb (70p). Sports fans say they are willing to pay a little extra for high-quality entertainment.

"I’m pleased. The prices are reasonable," said Chen Xin, a 25-year-old Beijing resident. "I will definitely go to see at least one Olympic event. After all, I will probably never get another chance in my life."

He is most interested in going to watch an Olympic football match. "I would pay up to 180 yuan. But only for a game between world-class teams like Germany or Nigeria. I wouldn’t pay that much to see China."

Despite an overwhelming response, Beijing Olympic organizers are keen to involve more volunteers with special skills as well as those from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and foreign countries.

Since it started on August 28 the Olympic volunteer program has attracted more than 220,000 applicants and 600,000 seeking information in Beijing by the end of last month, according to statistics from the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

Recruitment will move out of the capital to other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on the mainland from next month. Applicants from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Chinese living and studying overseas and foreigners can apply starting March, 2007, said Liu Jian, head of the Volunteers Department of BOCOG.

Liu said recruiting and training specialized volunteers would be one of their most important tasks as the Games gets closer. "Compared with non-specialized volunteers the specialists need to deal with more complicated situations and are of more importance to the overall service level," Liu said.

The enlisting of specialized volunteers, which is to be kicked off this month, focuses on eight service sectors, including VIP escort and interpretation, vehicle driving, media operation, event organization, medical services, reception, accommodation and security.

Liu said those who meet the requirements for the specialized volunteers and have already applied online or on paper will be included for selection.

"But the above eight service sectors do not cover all the specialized volunteers that will serve at the Games," Liu said. "People engaged in sectors like information technology, legal services, finance, accounting and logistics are also needed and we're going to enlist such kinds of volunteers from universities directly."

"We've been really touched by the enthusiasm of the people," Liu said. "I'm sure we'll have no problem in being able to find enough people with the right skills."

After rounds of selection and training the first batch of specialized volunteers is expected to be decided in March next year. They'll get warm-up practice at a series of test events starting in August. Liu didn't give a figure for the number of specialized volunteers needed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

However, it's estimated that 100,000 volunteers -- 70,000 for the Olympics and 30,000 for the Paralympics -- are needed in 2008.

Apart from volunteer recruitment the Olympic organizers want Beijing residents to flash their smiles to make the city more attractive to the hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors who are expected to flock to the capital between now and August 2008.

"We hope Beijing residents will join in the smile campaign to turn the city into a city of smiles," Liu said. "For many people who'll not be volunteers they're expected to show their good manners and do what they can to make the city a better place."

A test version of smile-themed wristbands for Olympic volunteers was revealed late last month at the opening ceremony of the "Smiling Beijing" campaign.

The "smile" wristbands are a series of soft plastic bands in the five Olympic colors. They're designed for the Beijing 2008 Olympic volunteers and are printed with the volunteer logo and the slogan, "A smile is the best calling card for Beijing."

The idea for the "smile" wristbands was proposed by the Beijing Volunteers Association. Around 20,000 questionnaires regarding the bracelet are being distributed to Beijing citizens looking for suggestions for the meaning that could be associated with each bracelet color. Each person who returns their suggestion will receive a "smile" wristband, according to the association. The final version of the bracelet will be issued on January 1 next year.

"Smiling is a global language," said college student Yang Ying, a member of the Bai minority group. "When foreign people arrive in Beijing during the Olympics they probably won't know any Chinese. But a smile can express everything."

However, some people think that though a smile is the symbol of Beijing volunteers, you also have to make your guests smile. Contributing nothing but a smile is not acceptable.

"The planned 110 hotels will range from one star to five stars, with a majority of them targeting high-end guests," Du Jiang, director of Beijing Tourism Bureau, said at a seminar on economy hotels on Friday.

Although there is a great demand for economy hotels in Beijing, the trend is to develop high-end hotels, Du acknowledged.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, most guests will be accommodated in Beijing hotels, Du said. "But the hotels in neighboring Hebei Province, which are about 100 kilometers away from Beijing, will be on stand-by."

According to the official, there are 56 hotels, including 8 four or five stars hotels, within 100 kilometers of Beijing.

By 2007, the number of star hotels in Beijing is expected to reach 800, providing approximately 130,000 rooms, Beijing's Vice Mayor Zhang Mao said at the seminar.

According to an estimate, about 250,000 foreign tourists, regular tourists and Games viewers will make Beijing hotels accommodate 550,000 people per day during the 2008 Olympic Games.

Currently, Beijing has 658 star hotels with a total of 109,000 rooms

Cycling

Philippe Chevallier (UCI Road Coordinator) believes the cycling circuit for the 2008 Olympic Games will be “probably the most amazing in Olympic history.” The particularly selective route will take riders from the centre of Beijing to the foot of the Great Wall, where they will then ride several laps of a 24km circuit (vertical drop each lap: 450m). This circuit will also be used for the time trial events.