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Cultural Festival a Bridge to the World

Beijing will hold the second Olympic Cultural Festival from June 23 to July 13, a senior official of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) has confirmed.

"The theme of this year's Olympic Cultural Festival is 'Sports - Bridge of Culture and Friendship Linking East and West'", said BOCOG vice-president, Jiang Xiaoyu.

According to Jiang, the festival will feature exhibitions and forums on the Olympic Movement and a series of mass activities in the Chinese capital.

Jiang also said BOCOG is to launch a global search for the mascot design for the 2008 Olympics.

The Olympic Cultural Festival will be held annually in the lead up to the 2008 Games. The first was held last September.