Olympic Update

“One-stop” Media Service Begins

 

“One-stop” media service began on July 1 at Beijing Olympic Media Centre to assist Chinese and foreign journalists covering Beijing and the 2008 Olympic Games.

At the “one-stop” media service centre, Thomas Scocca, a reporter from the New York Observer, submitted his application for a temporary driver’s license on July 1 and he got his license on the following day.

Scocca said, “I am extremely happy. I know that traffic management in Beijing is very strict; I never imagined that I’d get my driver’s license so quickly. Now I can drive by myself, which will make interviewing a lot more convenient.”

Twenty-nine national and municipal government departments will work together in one office to provide timely help for journalists.

The 29 bureaus and organizations participating in the “one-stop” service system include: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television; the State Administration of Foreign Exchanges; the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad; the Bank of China and the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Charles Wheland, correspondent for L’Agence France-Presse, who has covered the 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games, said that of all the Games he has covered, Beijing is the first city to provide “one-stop” services, offering efficiency and convenience to journalists.

 

110,000 Registered Volunteers for Urban Services

 

More than 110,000 people have applied to be volunteers for urban services during the 2008 Olympic Games since recruitment began on June 18.

The urban service volunteers, to be part of a larger contingent of 400,000, are people who will provide voluntary services at designated stations around competition venues and key areas of the city to ensure the smooth progress of the Games and regular operations of the city during the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.

During the Games, about 500 service stations will be set up in Beijing and the volunteers will provide information, emergency and translation services for members of the Olympic Family, spectators and tourists.

The applicants are of different age groups, with the youngest being 13 and the oldest 79. Those aged 13–36 account for 90.8 percent of the applicants; middle school students ages 13–17 are also prominently represented. Most Games-time volunteer applicants are college students.

Registration will end in June 2008. Anyone interested can visit www.beijing2008.cn or the volunteer Web site at: www.bv2008.cn.

 

Traders Hotel Beijing Leads in Water-Saving Equipment

 

Traders Hotel Beijing, one of 122 Beijing Olympics Member Hotels, stands out among member hotels that have recently installed water-saving equipment.

Water-saving urinals have been installed in all male washrooms in public areas. Each of the “flushes” at the hotel saves 4 litres of water per time. Since the new equipment can treat waste water, there is no need to transport waste water to sewage treatment facilities.

In addition, all guestroom toilet-tank capacities have been changed from nine to six litres, saving three litres of water per flush. New water-saving shower taps have also been installed in all guest rooms, reducing the water flow from 18 litres per minute to 14 litres per minute.  

Teresa Xin, Traders’ general manager, said, “Since 2004, energy consumption has been dramatically reduced in our hotel. We plan to continue saving energy during and after the 2008 Games.”