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Beijing Embodies True Olympic Spirit
When the sonorous singing of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras reverberates around the Forbidden City Saturday night, Beijing will again show its desire to host the 2008 Olympic Games is as strong as ever.
The unprecedented performance will be a key event in the celebrations of World Olympic Day, taking place Saturday.
The perfect blending of world-class arts performance and the spirit of sport will make the night unforgettable. And this sense of occasion will be enhanced by the passion displayed and the enduring efforts of Beijing people to bring the Olympic Games to the Chinese land for the first time.
In view of this, it is natural for Beijing's bidding committee to believe the gala show will be the most significant in this year's Olympic Day celebrations staged by countries around the world. The anniversary is set in honour the foundation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Paris on June 23, 1894.
When Pierre de Coubertin re-established the Olympic Games 107 years ago using the inspiration of the ancient Games held in the Greek valley of Olympia, he could not have imagined they would not only become the world's greatest sports event, but also develop extra significance.
The Olympic Movement now stands out as a symbol of the ability of the people of all nations to come together for peace, friendship and sportsmanship.
Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games manifests the city's strong desire to contribute more to the Olympic Movement and to enhance friendship and exchanges with people in the rest of the world.
It is not only the aspiration of Beijingers, but also that of China's 1.3 billion people, as the capital city has enjoyed huge support from central government and all other cities of the country as well.
Last month the IOC Evaluation Committee declared in its evaluation report that Beijing was rated as one of the three front-runners to host the Games, together with Paris and Toronto.
The IOC inspectors, as well as many other prominent figures in the world sports field, believed in Beijing's ability to host an excellent Olympic Games, stressing that a Beijing games would leave a unique legacy to China and to world sports. This encouraging outcome has further consolidated Beijing's confidence in winning the bidding through fair play.
Now people in Beijing, together with those throughout China, are looking forward with hope and excitement to July 13 when a final decision will be made by the IOC in Moscow.
The Chinese people are right to feel genuine pride in the country's impressive development in various fields. The excellent performance of Chinese athletes at previous Olympic Games and other international events bears witness to the rising sporting strength of China.
With China embracing sustained and stable social and economic development, Beijing Mayor Liu Qi said authoritatively that "It really is a piece of cake for Beijing to spend the US$1.2 billion needed for building Olympic facilities over a period of seven years.''
The Beijing municipal government has made every effort to improve the city in an all-round way as colossal investments are continuously allocated to improve the environment, renovate existing sports facilities and build new ones.
We believe a Games in Beijing will not only best represent the Olympic spirit of fair play, peace and development but also stand tall as a monument in the history of Olympic Movement.
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