Beijing's Bid to Be Olympic Host Enters Second StageAlthough Beijing has been short listed as one of the candidates to host the 2008 Olympics, it only means that Beijing has qualified to apply for the honor. The second stage of the selection process promises to be more competitive. The BOBC (Beijing Olympic Bid Committee) called for all work personnel to try their best in the second stage of the selection process.Tu Mingde, secretary-general of the BOBC, said that Zhang Jian, the teacher at Beijing University of Physical Education who successfully swan across the Bohai Straits, has joined the Beijing bid committee. The IOC has decided on August 28 that Beijing would be one of the five cities qualified to host the Olympics, along with Paris, Osaka, Toronto and Istanbul. Going from the preliminary stage to the second stage of the selection process is like going from the qualifying round to the finals. Almost one hundred BOBC personnel attended the "mobilization meeting" dressed neatly. Liu Jingmin, vice chairman of BOBC, said that there are many major tasks that need to be completed. First, write a "high quality" application and turn it in to the IOC (International Olympic Commission) before the mid-January. Second, make plans to welcome the IOC assessment committee, which will inspect Beijing between next February to April. Third, make the blueprints, regulations, designs and reconstruction of the arenas according to IOC standards. Fourth, prepare the presentation for the IOC July 15. And lastly, carry out large-scale propaganda work starting with the Sydney Olympics. Yuan Weimin, head of the Chinese Olympic team and chairman of BOBC's executive committee, addressed the BOBC personnel at Xinqiao Hotel yesterday. He asked the subsidiaries of the BOBC to prepare a thoughtful, detailed and practical plan, and not let the people down. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |