Olympic Update

China Anti-Doping Agency Established

 

The China Anti-Doping Agency was launched in Beijing on November 12.

The agency has a staff of 60, including personnel from the Institute of Sports Medicine under the General Administration of Sport and the Anti-Doping Commission of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

Duan Shijie, vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport and executive vice-president of BOCOG, and Du Lijun, director of the agency, attended the inaugural ceremony at the China Olympic Sports Center.

According to Du, the facility embodies China’s intent to fulfil its international obligations and to implement international anti-doping conventions; it will play an important and positive role in enhancing cooperation with other countries in the anti-doping area.

Du said the agency is the world's largest anti-doping facility, with state-of-the art instruments bought in from abroad, plus those now being used by the anti-doping agency of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

To cope with the large volume of 4,500 tests for the next Olympics, the agency is expected to lease certain instruments from various enterprises and organizations, recruit specialized volunteers, and invite a number of Chinese and foreign anti-doping experts, Duan said.

 

Weather: No Problem at the 2008 Olympics

 

Bad weather will not be a major concern during the Olympics, reports the Xinhua News Agency.

The Beijing Organization Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) has already worked out plans for coping with various weather conditions during the Games, said BOCOG Executive Vice-President Yang Shu’an.

The China National Meteorological Bureau promises accurate weather forecasts next summer that will tell people when and where rain will fall rather than the probability of rainfall.

According to Yang, at least six weather observation points have been set up around the Olympic Green, where a cluster of Olympic venues is located. Updated weather forecasts will be available every three hours during the Games to allow timely decision-making about contingency plans.

BOCOG’s precaution mechanism proved effective during last summer's Good Luck Beijing sports competitions and events, which, in part, served as tests for Games-time operations.

Yang cites the success of the Good Luck Beijing equestrian event in Hong Kong in August as an example.

“When a strong typhoon hit Hong Kong on the event’s opening day, we immediately informed the audiences and athletes about the rescheduling plan,” Yang said.

 

Medals Unveiled for 2008 Paralympic Games

 

The medals for the 2008 Paralympic Games were shown to the public on November 14.

The design concepts and pattern of the medals for the Paralympic Games of 2008 bear a resemblance to the medals for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

The medals for the Paralympic Games not only meet the technical requirements of “Two Games, Equal Splendour” concept but perfectly capture the pure essence of “One World One Dream.”

A jade disc set into the obverse of each Beijing 2008 Paralympic medals, and the emblem of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games is found in the centre of the jade disc.

The colour of jade varies with the medal, including:

•      White jade for the gold medal

•      Gray-white jade for the silver medal

•      Gray jade for the bronze medal

The design of the medal hook originates from jade huang, a ceremonial jade piece decorated with a double dragon pattern and pu, a reed mat pattern. On the reverse side is the emblem of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the name of the event and “Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games” in Chinese, English and Braille.

The materials, weight, measurements and pattern of the medals for the 2008 Paralympic Games follow all guidelines of the IPC. The gold and silver medals are made with a base of pure silver and the gold medal is plated with no less than six grams of pure gold.

The medals were designed by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University and the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation.