Olympic Update

Olympic Education Model School Participates in Terry Fox Run

Students, staff and their family members of Beijing City International School (BCIS) had a run at school on September 21 to raise money.

 The event was the Third Annual BCIS Terry Fox Run, also known as the “BCIS Marathon of Hope.”

Nick Bowley, Head of School says, “There are several ways in which the Terry Fox Run is significant for BCIS and for the hundreds of other schools around the world who take part in. First, the Run engenders a sense of community because it throws all ages and nationalities together in a common cause. Secondly, the students learn about commitment as they spend the following week chasing up all those pledges. On a deeper level, the Run helps children learn something required of us all by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights       ––our duties to the community. And, last but not least, the Run brings a smile to everyone’ face, and we all benefit from having some fun together!”

Fox, who lost his right leg to bone cancer, became a Canadian national hero after he travelled across Canada on an artificial leg to raise money for cancer research in 1980. After Fox’s death in 1981, volunteers began holding runs once a year to commemorate his death and raise funds for cancer research. Over the past 25 years, more than US$200 million has been collected by people in 50 countries.

 Last year BCIS raised more than 50,000 yuan (US$6667) in support of cancer research. This year, a total of 75,000 yuan (US$10,000) had been collected.

Smoking to Be Banned on Beijing Taxis

Beijing municipal authorities will ban both cab drivers and passengers from smoking in taxis from October in a drive to promote a tobacco-free Olympics.

“This is good news. I hope I will never be bothered by second-hand smoking in a cab,” said Huang Xiaodi, an IT company employee in Beijing. “More public education is needed to get the anti-smoking message across.”

However, implementing the ban could face hurdles in Beijing, where almost half the male population smokes, according to a survey conducted by Horizon Research Consultancy Group.

A draft of the “Beijing 2008 Olympic smoking-free work programme” designates the Olympic Village, stadiums and audience stands as “no-smoking areas.” The draft also bans cigarette sales in athletes’ and coaches’ training and

living places.

The Barcelona Olympics in 1992 was the first tobacco-free Games. Every Games since then has been smoke-free.

Paralympic Games Torch Relay to Pass Through Four Paralympic Cities

At the one-year countdown celebration to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, the torch relay route of the Paralympic Games was released.

“Transcendence, Equality and Integration” is the theme of the torch relay. “Light the Passion, Share the Dream” is its slogan. The torch will be lit on August 28, 2008, at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and the torch relay will continue for 10 days. The relay in China and abroad will proceed at the same time.

The planned torch relay route will cross “Paralympic cities” from Beijing to Vancouver (host city of the 10th Paralympic Winter Games in 2010) to London (host city of the 14th Paralympic Games in 2012) to Sochi (host city of the 11th Paralympic Winter Games in 2014) to Hong Kong (co-host city of the 13th Paralympics, equestrian events).

The two other routes will be the “Modern China” and “Ancient China” routes. The “Modern China” route will cross Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian and Tianjin and the “Ancient China” route will cross Huangdi Mausoleum, Xi’an, Hohhot, Urumqi, Chengdu, Changsha, Nanjing and Luoyang. The three torches will finally meet in Beijing and light the main cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games on September 6, 2008.