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Chinese Star Marathon Swimmer Joins in Beijing's Olympics Bid
"Ironman" Zhang Jian, who became the first person to swim 124 kilometers across the Bohai Bay off north China last month, has started his commitment in Beijing's bid for hosting the 2008 Olympic Games.
Zhang, a household name now throughout the country following his heroic crossing of the often stormy bay, was officially accepted in Beijing Wednesday a member of the Beijing 2008 Olympics Bid Committee.
Under a banner which writes "Mobilization Meeting for Olympics Bid", Beijing's vice mayor Liu Jingmin called on all the staff of the Beijing bid committee to follow the example set by Zhang. Zhang set a world record by swimming across the bay in 50 hours and 22 minutes, without the aid of any floater.
"His feat is thought-provoking, and we should follow his example in our bid," said Liu, who is also the executive vice- president of the bid committee.
Zhang, a teacher with the Beijing Sports University, encouraged the bid staff to push forward the 2008 bid campaign by recalling his awful crossing. "Tricky problems emerged from every hour of the 50-hour swim crossing. You need to deal with each of them by various means. But when the hardship reaches its peak, it tails off," said Zhang. "I was barely able to continue sometime in the first night, but a strong faith encouraged me through to the end. When the shore came into my sight, I was filled with more power," Zhang recalled.
The excitement Zhang experienced is still premature for the Beijing bid committee.
"Zhang Jian has savored the unspeakable joy at sight of the shore, but we could not for more arduous tasks are lying ahead," Liu said.
Beijing, together with Paris, Istanbul, Toronto and Osaka, was accepted last week by the International Olympic Committee as the candidate cities for hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. The IOC is scheduled to decide on the hosting city in Moscow this July.
"All the other four candidates are very competitive. Confident though, we should keep somber-minded for more challenging tasks ahead," Liu said.
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