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Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System Date: 29 Jul 2008 Title: Olympic host makes last minute checks -------------------- Beijing - The host city of the 29th Summer Olympic Games is going through every last detail of its seven-year-long preparation plans ahead of the opening ceremony on 8 August. Despite suffering overseas torch-relay disruptions, a deadly earthquake and soaring inflation, China has not stopped marching steadily toward the nation's century Olympic dream. Chinese President Hu Jintao has done everything to secure the success of the Games. Hoping to embrace the world with more involvement from the sports feast, China is honouring its commitment with last-minute checks by the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG). The Olympic Village for the Games welcomed its first delegation of Chinese athletes on Sunday, marking the start of official arrival of the athletes who diversely spent their time before competition. Enjoying Chinese cultural folk arts demonstrated in the village, athletes from Indonesia, Israel, Canada and the United States have experienced Chinese language learning. "The food here tastes good and there are many entertaining facilities including Internet bars," said 20-year-old Hector Fuentes. The Cuban triple jumper on his first Olympic trip said the village has gone beyond his expectation. Swimmers from ten countries arrived at the National Aquatic Centre, known as Water Cube, on Monday morning to test the pool and adapt to the conditions. More than 20 Japanese swimmers became the largest group to jump into the pool and trained for nearly four hours. Kosuke Kitajima, the 200 meters breaststroke world record holder, said he was satisfied with the accommodation in the Olympic Village and has acclimatised well in Beijing. A Polish delegation became the first guests to arrive on Sunday at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport which was built specially for the Games. The terminal received more than 1 000 passengers from around the world on Monday. "It will be the busiest time for the airport from now to the initiation of the Games," Li Hongbo, an Olympic volunteer serves at the terminal said. "About 300 to 500 volunteers will provide language services." According to the airport staff, the airport will witness the biggest volume of arrival on 7 August when an estimated 6 000 athletes, journalists and officials touching down in the city. As the Deputy Director of the Olympic Village, Deng Yaping said the last-minute preparation will be the welcoming ceremony for each Olympic delegation. Mr Deng, a Chinese table tennis legend with four Olympic gold medals, became a sports official after retiring and then lobbied and promoted Beijing's Games worldwide. "Especially every transitional factor and process of the delegation's reception for so many countries and regions, we will try to make the operation as smooth as possible. "There are so many concerns to need me. More than 70 advance teams have arrived at the village who will also make preparations for the total 16 000 athletes and officials before the opening ceremony," Mr Deng said. "All of the equipment in MPC is running in good condition," Xu Jicheng, Deputy Director of the Main Press Center (MPC). "It is an opportunity for us to test the operation of the media transport system for more and more journalists and photojournalists came in. "We will adjust the timetable of the media coaches according to the variable actual needs, and officials and engineers from local transport authorities have arrived to adapt the parking lot and pedestrian for extra large number of circulations going to occur during the games," he said. Some Chinese journalists have complained about the powerful air-cooling system in the MPC which has made temperatures at the centre too cold, engineers holding laser temperature measurers cruised the boxes to listen to their needs. "We will try our best to satisfy every demand and adjust the temperature to a comfortable level, but we have to keep a balance," the engineers said. The recent haze that has covered Beijing for a few days seems to be the only current concern for the organiser, although Du Shaozhong, Deputy Director of Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, has revealed there had been 22 days without air pollution from July 1 to 25. The authority has promised to keep an "eligible" air condition for the Olympic Games which has been a promise made by the Chinese government, adding that it will consider emergency measures by banning more cars and shutting down more factories if the air quality goes down during the games. Beijing's organisers have also prepared for a special aircraft, satellite and radar to disrupt possible rainfalls during the opening ceremony. The BOCOG announced on Monday that all Olympic tickets in Beijing have been sold out, leaving few for the spectators in some co-hosting cities. Zhang Jie, a 34-year-old doctor who lived in a community which is less than five minutes walk away from the National Stadium, said his family were so eager to get a ticket to the venue known as the Bird's Nest in which the opening ceremony will be held on August 8. "As the games approaching, we can even hear the actors performing for the ceremony hailing and some of the music, I can sometimes see the stadium glitters in red and blue because the building is so close to it," Mr Zhang said. "The streets and buildings are changing everyday as we witnessed for about seven years, I think when we see your journalists and various Olympic banners hanging on both sides of the road, the Games are coming." The Bird's Nest, Water Cube and other venues inside and outside Beijing are pre-visited by hundreds of tourists who most of the time took pictures by using them as background views. - BuaNews-Xinhua |
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