A group of nearly 50 newspapers and enterprises in Beijing will jointly launch a mass environmental-cleanup campaign to tackle the pollution problem in the capital city and increase its chances to host the 2008 Olympics.

"The Green Campaign for the Olympics," to be initiated tomorrow, first will galvanize the public by gathering 100,000 signatures from Beijing residents pledging to keep their city clean, said GuoJinglong, one of the organizers for the non-governmental campaign.

Two high-level academic forums will be held to discuss Beijing's environment, Olympic bidding and the sustainable growth of China's sports industry, according to the China Sports News, the chief sponsor of the campaign.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided last year that potential host cities for the games must meet environmental standards.

When making the decision to apply for the chance to host the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing last year launched 18 urgent air pollution control measures and another 28 measures for improving air quality, and banned the use of high-sulphur coal in the city proper.

The municipal government last year also set aside 46 billion yuan to substantially improve the air quality of Beijing in the next four years.

"All this indicates the determination of the government to win the bid, but it still needs support from the general public. That is why we are here," Guo said.

On April 7, 1999, the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee formally presented Beijing's bidding report to Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the (IOC) at IOC's Lausanne-based headquarters. Beijing's rivals now include Osaka, Paris, Toronto, Istanbul, Seville, Buenos Aires, and others.