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Race Begins for 2008 Olympics Mascot

The mascot for Beijing 2008 has been the subject of intense discussions since Beijing won with its bid to host the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2001.

Since then a host of treasured Chinese symbols have been considered. The giant panda, the endangered golden monkey and red-crowned crane, and the legendary immortal Monkey King have all been cited as favourites.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has announced that the selection process for the mascot design officially began on August 5. The winning mascot will be unveiled on June 1, 2005.

Professional design organizations from all over the world will have a chance to make suggestions, with children's opinions considered an important part of the selection process.

BOCOG will mail hundreds of invitations for submission of mascot designs, but submission documents can also be downloaded from BOCOG's official Web site at: http://www.beijing-2008.org.