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Beijing's Post-Olympic Economy: Inheriting the Legacy
2008/07/15 02:00:00 US/Central
text by Claire Cheng, photo by Wang Huiming and Ma Wenxiao
An Olympiad is first and foremost a sporting event; yet, a modern Olympic Games requires a host city, and that city must be able to pick up the weighty tab for this moment of human celebration.
During its seven years of preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing used its Olympic impetus to thoroughly energize its modernization under China’s reform and opening policy. As a result, it has achieved unprecedented growth that is rapidly changing the city’s face, its skyline and the fortunes of its people.
The “Olympic economy” has brought tangible benefits to Beijing’s economy and not just to its glitzy urban centre. In 2007, Beijing’s regional gross domestic product (GDP) reached 900.62 billion yuan (US$126 billion), an increase of 12.3 percent year-on-year, making 2007 the ninth consecutive year of double digit growth for the city. The per capita GDP of Beijing residents rose to US$7,000 and the figure is expected to reach US$8,000 in 2008.
The pre-Olympics economic boom has unquestionably benefited Beijing, but also the co-host cities of the Games: Qingdao (venue for the 29th Sailing Regatta); Hong Kong (equestrian events); and Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Shenyang and Shanghai (football preliminaries). There are some fears, however, that many of these cities might suffer post-Games economic downturns epitomized by decreasing investment and somewhat higher unemployment. Leaders in Beijing have taken these things into account and have carefully considered what must be done to prevent a post-Games economic meltdown.
But how well are these “fears” founded? Shanghai, for instance, will host the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, and there will be economic action there. Qingdao plans to become a centre for sailing, perhaps even a home to giant cruise ships that ply the Pacific. And Beijing’s leaders have striven to ensure that Olympic-Games construction will serve the long-term development of the city, which is hardly expected to slow in any case.
Frugality in the Preparation of Olympic Games
Still, hosting a Games is a huge economic burden on a host city; Beijing has countered by minimizing the building costs and ensuring post-Games uses for all the permanent facilities.
Ensuring a “frugal Olympics” was a major principle that underlay the Beijing Organizing Committee for the XXIX Olympiad’s (BOCOG’s) preparatory work. The total budget of Olympic venues was well-managed and is expected to hover at about 13 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion).
Green materials and advanced energy-saving technologies have been used in every one of Beijing’s 31 competition venues and 45 training venues. Some 191 environmentally friendly projects have been relied on to cut construction costs and to ensure that the post-Games operating costs of these venues is sustainable, including the use of green construction materials, the use of green lighting, heating, underground heating and wind power systems and the use of recycled water.
For instance, rainwater can be used to clean the surface “bubbles” of the Water Cube (National Aquatics Center) when it collects dust. Bathwater will be sanitized and recycled to be used for flushing toilets, cleaning garbage floors and watering lawns. Nearly 4.5 tons of water is expected to be saved every year through this one initiative. Special flushing valves are being used in toilets, showers and wash basins to save water by as much as 10 percent if compared with normal technologies.
Beijing’s universities are major beneficiaries of Olympic venue construction, and several of the venues will be used by them after the Games. New gymnasiums have been built at the Beijing University of Technology, China Agricultural University, Peking University and Beijing Science and Technology University. The 2008 Games also gave the Beijing Institute of Technology and Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics an opportunity to renovate its competition and training venues.
Located at the southeastern corner of Beijing, the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, where badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events will be held, will be opened to the 20,000 students and teachers in the university as well as 300,000 citizens in the neighbourhood after the 2008 Games.
Venues for table tennis, judo and taekwondo and wrestling are also on university campuses. These were originally planned for the Olympic Green.
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, the Laoshan bicycle venues and the Beijing Shooting Range Hall are located in western Beijing with relatively few sports facilities. The Water Cube and Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park will be turned into water parks after the Olympic Games. And the Workers’ Stadium, Ying Tung Natatorium and Olympic Center Stadium, after Olympic expansion and renovation, will cater to burgeoning fitness market in Beijing.
The disposal of Olympic assets has already begun, even in advance of the Games. On June 25, 2008, BOCOG signed a contract with the Beijing Equity Exchange to handle its more than 20 million items of assets by repurchase or rentals.
Transportation System Upgrading
The transportation system in Beijing is being improved. Many of its subway lines, roads and highways completed before the Olympics will remain as important components of the city’s infrastructure.
Between 1965, when construction of first subway line was started, and 2001, Beijing had only two subway lines: Lines 1 and 2 (the Loop Line), with a combined length of 54 kilometres. After its successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing stepped up its subway construction, and in 2003 added its Line 13 and Batong lines (40.5 kilometres more rail length). Line 13 serves a vast area in northern Beijing including the Zhongguancun, Wangjing and Huilongguan areas. The new line is convenient for commuters, but it also adds to the value of real estate along the line. Many young IT talents choose to buy or rent apartments in this northern area. The opening of the Batong Line led the rejuvenation of Tongzhou District by shortening the commuting time between Tuqiao station in eastern Tongzhou and the central city’s Guomao Station to about 30 minutes.
On October 7, 2007, another trunk line, Line 5, opened to the public, connecting northern and southern Central Beijing, adding 28 kilometres of underground and above ground rail service with a trip time of about 50 minutes. It also increased the throughput of passengers of the subway system from 1.7 million passengers to 2.7 million passengers per day.
At the end of 2007, there were eight subway lines under construction in Beijing at the same time. Three of them will be put into service before the Olympic Games, and the first phase of Line 10, the Olympic Branch Line and the Airport Line will add another 58 kilometres, bringing Beijing’s subway track length to nearly 200 kilometres. The Olympic Branch Line has four stations: Beitucheng, Olympic Central Area, Olympic Green and Olympic Forest Park. It speeds spectators to the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, among other Olympic venues. People can easily walk to the two venues after getting off from the Olympic Branch Line. The 28.1-kilometre-long subway Airport Line, with four stations (Dongzhimen, Sanyuan Qiao, T2 and T3), makes the entire trip from Dongzhimen to the Capital Airport as short as 16 minutes.
Beijing’s subway construction will not slow down after the Games. According to the city’s overall plan, 19 lines with 561 kilometres of subway track will be completed by 2015; 390 kilometres of the system will serve urban areas and the remainder will serve seven “new towns” in suburban Beijing: Changping, Shunyi, Mentougou, Fangshan, Tongzhou, Yizhuang and Daxing. Major railway stations and airports will all have rail connections with transportation hubs in Beijing.
By then, there will be less than one kilometre between any two railway stations within the Fourth Ring Road. Commuters will increase to 45 percent of the city’s daily traffic flow, with the subway system taking half the load.
The construction and operation of subway lines has been a boost for related industries. By 2012, Beijing’s investment in its subway system will increase to 110.5 billion yuan (US$15.5 billion), double the output value of related sectors. The 561 kilometres of subway line will generate more than 50,000 jobs just for system operations.
But all the attention given to Beijing’s rail traffic infrastructure has not dented the city’s efforts to improve its road network.
In addition to the city’s existing five ring roads, with a combined length of 246 kilometres, Beijing will complete its Sixth Ring Road, which runs through Beijing’s outer districts and counties. In the next few years, Beijing will complete 15 expressways that together with the four ring roads will form a 380-km expressway network, bearing nearly 50 percent of the city’s vehicular traffic. By the end of 2008, Beijing’s highways will exceed 900 km in length.
In late June 2008, three new highways—the Second Airport Highway, Airport South Line and Jing–Ping (Beijing–Pinggu) Highway—opened to traffic. With these projects, the Beijing Capital International Airport is now approachable by six roads, and all of Beijing’s 18 suburban districts and counties are equipped with highways.
Beijing has long been a major rail hub of the nation, with services to all over China that depart from its four huge stations: Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing North Railway Station. During the Olympic Games, four Olympic lines (Beijing–Shanghai; Beijing–Changsha; Beijing–Xi’an and Beijing–Guangzhou) will be available to Olympic athletes and officials. The Beijing–Tianjin High-Speed Rail, running at an operational speed of up to 350 km/h enables people to travel between the two cities in about 30 minutes.
With opening the new No. 3 Terminal on February 29, 2008, the Beijing Capital International Airport is equipped to handle 76 million passengers a year, its maximum planned capacity. Seventy-three parking spaces for planes were added to the airport’s inventory, along with a third runway that can accommodate the world’s largest aircraft, including the Airbus A 380. The Capital International Airport, the eighth-largest airport in the world, will play a key role in ensuring the smooth conduct of the Olympic Games.
In addition, Beijing is now zeroing in on selecting a site for a second international airport, likely in southern Beijing. The new airport is expected to be completed in 2015 and increase Beijing’s passenger turnover to 150 million passengers a year.
Environment Improved
Providing an agreeable urban environment was an important promise made by Beijing when it bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. This has proven to be a challenging task, because of the city’s rapid expansion, which, in turn, has burdened the environment in new ways.
In its preparatory work, Beijing has given top priority to environmental protection. It has adopted numerous measures, including massive forestation and greening and stricter standards for auto emissions; it is relocating and upgrading factories known to be its biggest polluters.
But building these infrastructural facilities is a first thing: long-term policy support and a mature, integrated infrastructure are needed to ensure pollution remains under control, resulting in an improved quality of life in the city. The measures needed are either in place or are being created.
In 1998, Beijing reported a mere 100 “blue-sky” days with the air quality rated as fair or good; but in 2007, Beijing had 246 such days. This was achieved through more than 200 measures focusing on coal burning, exhaustion, dust of construction fields and industrial pollution. Major pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide emissions, now meet national standards.
Since 2005, about 200 factories that caused pollution have been removed from the Central Beijing, reflecting not only the city’s resolution to clean up the environment but also its determination to upgrade its industrial structure. These include the relocation of the prestigious Shougang Group (Capital Steel Group), China's fourth greatest steel producer. In addition, waste oil has been collected and recycled at Beijing’s 1,442 gas stations. With a total investment of 900 million yuan (US$126 million), the project can recycle about 20,000 tons of usable oil.
Beijing introduced its equivalent of Euro IV auto emission standards on March 1, 2008; the city had retired another 2,000 old and inefficient taxis and 1,500 buses by the end of June.
Three “green walls” comprise belts of forests that round Beijing to ward off the invasion of sandstorms into the city. Beijing’s green coverage had increased to 51 percent by the end of 2006.
Since 1998, Beijing has been engaged in a war on water pollution, and the city now has nine sewage-treatment factories. The annual treatment capacity of these nine factories is 780 million cubic metres, 90 percent of the city’s sewage output.
Water in more than half the city’s rivers, canals and moats is now drinkable.
Begun in 2006, the Qinghe Water Reclamation Plant now supplies 80,000 cubic metres of recycled water per day to irrigate the landscape of the Olympic Green.
Rivers and lakes in both central and suburban Beijing are clean, such as Beihai, Zhonghai, Nanhai, Shichahai lakes in the city centre and the Qinghe, Yongding, Chaobai and Wenyu rivers in the suburbs.
The imperative of environmental protection as well as the need for sustainable growth of the city has led to adjustments in the city’s industrial structure and urban functions.
In the coming five years, the main goal and target of Beijing’s economic development is to raise the percentage in the economy of the tertiary industry to 74 percent. In line with the direction and priority of the city’s industrial development, Beijing is optimizing its industrial structure. Priority will be given to the development of a modern service industry, focusing on such fields as finance, cultural creativity, tourism, conventions and exhibitions. In addition, new development modes are inherent in its six high-end industrial functional areas, new towns and other ventures such as the Central Business District (CBD), Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA), Zhongguancun Science Park, Finance Street, Airport Economic Zone and the Olympic Central Area, the construction of the three new towns including Tongzhou, Shunyi and Yizhuang, and the four functional areas including the Capital Functional Core Districts, Urban Functional Expansion District, New Urban Development District and Ecological Conservation Development District.
Real Estate
Although slowing somewhat in the housing sector before the Olympics, Beijing’s real estate market has enjoyed a boom in the past several years. Housing prices in Beijing have increased from around 4,500 yuan (US$630) per square metre (sq.m) in 2002 to more than 11,000 yuan/sq.m (US$1,540) in 2007.
The appreciation of the city’s overall competitiveness brought by the booming economy and improvement in its infrastructure is a major contributor of the mounting prices of properties in Beijing.
Many of the properties along new subway lines have seen their values double or even triple. The areas near the Olympic area between the North Fourth and Fifth Ring roads, where the Olympic Village and many Olympic venues are located, have enjoyed a remarkable appreciation in their geographical values.
Soaring housing prices in Beijing reached a peak at the end of 2007. After a series of governmental policies to restrain the property market, especially its speculators, the proud head of housing prices finally bowed. Though a lowering of prices is not obvious, discounts and promotional activities are becoming very popular; sales have slowed.
Still, public opinion still believes in the firmness of Beijing’s property market, even with the Olympic Games soon to come and go.
Residential properties got a big boost from the Olympics, but the commercial property market also expanded. In the month before the Olympics, 26 new hotels opened in Beijing. Before the Olympics, there will be more than 800 star-rated hotels available to businessmen, travellers and those who need space for meetings, conventions and exhibitions.
Another niche market serving extended-stay foreigners, especially senior managers of international companies is serviced apartments. The total supply of service apartments increased from about 1,800 suites in 2000 to nearly 10,000 in 2007. Serviced apartments managed by internationally renowned brands and located in prime locations in Beijing numbered 5,000 in early 2008 and more are coming. In 2007 and 2008, many world leading property management groups came to the market, including Oakwood of the United States and Fraser Hospitality of Singapore.
The high-end office market is another focus of real estate investments. There are more than 14 million sq.m of Grade-A or higher office spaces in Beijing. The average rent for Grade-A offices is nearly 300 yuan/sq.m/month (US$42).
Many shopping malls and stores have chosen to open before the Olympics, betting on a large flow of tourist during the Games.
It seems to be all about the Olympics; however, commercial developers are betting in favour of Beijing’s long-term growth; opening so many hotels, offices and shopping malls just for a month-long event is ridiculous on its face. Every investor is expecting the Olympic Games to provide a perfect opportunity for the world to see the energy and dynamics of a fast growing oriental city, in which many of them will find cooperation potential.
A more Favourable Civil Environment
As the 2008 Games draw near, Beijing residents are becoming more graceful, yet genuinely relaxed and welcoming. To guide the residents’ behaviour, the Beijing Municipal Government has launched a Good Manners campaign under the slogans “Welcome the Olympics, Improve Manners and Foster New Attitudes” and “I participate, I contribute and I enjoy.”
Many Beijingers have voluntarily begun to learn English, and now, 5.5 million of them can speak a foreign language of some kind. The municipal government is also sponsoring a series of events to promote foreign-language study among the citizens. The “Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Programme” is one of them, under which six speaking contests have been held since 2002. Many taxi drivers have mastered some useful words and sentences for basic communication with foreigners.
Another programme is the “Queuing Day,” which started on February 11, 2007, and falls on the 11th day of every month. Now at places like subway stations and bus stops, people are queuing up.
More public places are free from the pollution of smoking since May 1, because of a newly released ban on smoking in public places. Added places include the competition and seating areas of sports venues and many inside working spaces.
兑现奥运承诺
——北京向世界递交答卷
编写/薛京晶 摄影/王慧明 马文晓
站在时间的坐标上，我们回望2001年7月13日。在那一天，北京获得了第29届奥运会的主办权；也在那一天，中国13亿人民对世界做出庄严的承诺：“我们有能力、有信心将2008年北京奥运会举办成一届令人难忘的盛会。”
如今，7年过去了，中国人民为筹办奥运会所付出的巨大努力，到了向世界一一展示成果的时刻；中国人民向世界做出的庄严承诺，也到了一一交付答卷的时节。
在距离奥运会只有20多天的日子里，北京交出了这样一份答卷：奥运场馆全部竣工，并通过了国际奥委会的严格检验；空气质量达标天数不断攀高，提前一年多实现申奥绿化目标；交通状况大为改观；市民素质大幅度提升……如果说7年的足迹见证了北京的辉煌建设成就，那么这些触目可见的成就背后，恰是中国人民兑现申奥承诺的坚实答案！
场馆——用视觉震撼点亮奥运
2008年6月28日，拥有91000个座位的北京奥运会主体育场“鸟巢”举行了正式落成典礼。在此之前，“鸟巢”已经成功举行了中国田径公开赛，接受了全方位的测试，并受到各方面的好评。它的落成，标志着北京奥运会37座竞赛场馆及京内45座独立训练场馆已经全部顺利竣工。
历届大型赛事，令组委会最头疼的就是场馆建设问题。1976年的蒙特利尔奥运会，直到奥运会结束时主体育场仍未完全竣工，成为奥运会顺利进行的最大障碍。
2005年，北京2008年奥运会各场馆建设全面开工，展现在世人面前的是“中国速度”。2006年7月，承担奥运会男、女垒球比赛的丰台体育中心垒球场率先竣工，成为首座竣工的北京奥运会场馆。随后，当日历翻至2007年的时候，大部分北京奥运会场馆都已竣工落成并通过验收，而且已经有条不紊地开始进行各项“好运北京”测试赛。在这些场馆建设过程中，成功完成了“鸟巢”复杂“外壳”的钢和焊接施工技术、支撑“水立方”的双层ETFE充气气枕、运用在奥运会羽毛球馆穹顶的“预应力钢结构万向可调节撑杆节点”等一系列的尖端科学技术，更是向世界展现出“科技奥运”的魅力。
如今，包括上海、天津等协办城市的奥运分赛场场馆也都完全履行了当初中国对世界的承诺，从容迎接奥运会的到来。“北京奥运会的筹备工作给我留下了深刻的印象，我相信它将成为奥运会历史上最成功的一届奥运会。”这是联合国秘书长潘基文在2008年7月2日参观 “鸟巢”后发出的由衷赞叹。
如今，37座秉承奥运理念、极具中国特色、凝聚着自主创新智慧结晶的奥运场馆全部竣工并且通过了“好运北京”测试赛的严格检验。这些场馆建筑不仅成为了北京城市中的新地标，奥运会后更是为市民留下了大批享受体育休闲生活的现代化设施。
环保——绿色奥运留下的绿色遗产
如今，无论是到北京出差的商务人士还是长期居住在北京的市民，最大的感受就是“绿色似乎越来越多了。”
7年前，北京奥申委曾向世界做出7项绿化美化的承诺。7年间，在“绿色奥运”理念的引导下，北京不断大力开展绿化和环境整治工作，分别在山区、平原和城市中间构建起了三道绿色生态屏障。如今的北京，绿化覆盖率达到40%，郊区、山区林木绿化率达到70%，全市的林木绿化率达到50%。
另外，当初北京还承诺：在全市的周边地区，要建设起城市绿化隔离地区；在北京市区范围内“五河十路”的两侧建设1.2万平方米的绿化带；全市的自然保护区的面积要达到8%等指标。如今，这些指标已经全部完成。
北京对环境改善的努力绝不仅仅止于绿化。为了净化空气，北京已经关闭了100家左右的工厂，自2008年7月1日起，30万辆挂有黄色环保标志的高污染排放车辆在北京行政区域道路内全面禁行。“政府的努力是认真的！”绿色和平国际总干事格尔德·莱波尔在北京视察到这样的情况后表示。
值得注意的一点是，7年前北京还向世界做出一份承诺：要举办一届无烟的奥运会。如今依然忠实履行——北京2008年奥运会期间，赛场和奥运服务场所实行全面禁烟，并禁止一切烟草广告。随即而来的是出台“禁止公共场所吸烟”的有关政策法规，2008年奥运会的“禁烟”将成为今后北京乃至中国公共场所禁烟和控烟立法的新起点。这项措施引来了世界的一片赞扬之声，世界卫生组织驻华代表处的高级项目官员司徒农博士对此表示：“中国走在禁烟道路的正轨上，中国会成功的。”
天蓝了，水清了，空气清新了。绿色浸染北京，北京提前了一年多的时间兑现了申奥时的绿化承诺。而2007年的246个蓝天数，更是北京充满信心承诺“奥运会期间空气质量达标没有悬念”的坚实基础。
交通——“五纵四横”架构立体交通体系
交通拥堵曾是困扰北京的一大难题，北京在申办奥运会时立下了“军令状”——向国际奥委会承诺：奥运会开幕式和闭幕式，入场时间不超过2.5小时，散场不超过2小时；运动员、教练员从驻地到达距离最远的比赛场馆，不超过30分钟……北京，再次提速。
为了缓解北京的交通拥堵情况，自2008年6月23日至7月19日起，北京市从中央机关开始，50%的公车将封存，从7月20日至9月20日，这个比率将上升到70%。而7月20日至9月20日期间，除公交车、出租车等少数公用交通工具外，北京所有机动车辆实行单、双号隔日出行。这两个举措大大缓解了北京的交通拥堵情况。而且奥运会期间的“错高峰”上下班时间安排也于7月20日开始实施。
除了“节流”外，北京在交通方面还进行了“开源”：2008年奥运会期间，北京增设了2000余辆公交车；奥运会前，机场线、10号线一期以及奥运支线这3条总长为60公里的全新地铁线全体投入运营，无论是地面还是地下的交通压力都会大大缓解。
为了更方便游客和市民选择公共交通出行，奥运期间，北京结合赛事日程安排，对现有的公共交通系统的运行时间进行必要的调整，同时还规划了34条奥运公交专线。另外，晚间的公交线路在目前已有12条线路的基础上将再增加7条乃至更多，组成了一个24小时的公共交通网络，满足国内外游客和城市市民的出行需要。
北京的路网加密工程也从未停歇过。丰北路、通惠河北路、左安东路、西大望路、赵登禹路（展西路）等一批快速路、主干路相继建成通车。2007年，随着蓝靛厂南路的通车，北京西北部形成了一条“三环半”，解决了西北部市民的出行问题；同时，随着白马路等一批奥运道路的通车，顺义奥运场馆到达奥运中心区的时间，也控制在半小时以内。而奥运会前，东直门、西直门两个交通枢纽将投入使用；安立路、朝阳路、阜石路建设大容量快速公交，构建地面公交快线网络。
北京首都国际机场不仅是首都北京的空中门户和对外交往的窗口，而且是中国民用航空网络的辐射中心。3号航站楼投入使用后，北京首都国际机场成为中国首座拥有3座航站楼、双塔台、3条跑道同时运营的机场。滑行道将由71条增为137条，停机位由164个增为314个，年设计旅客吞吐量由目前的3600万人次增加为7600万人次。新跑道不仅可供F类航空器起降使用，空中客车380等新一代大型客机也可以在此运营。
北京也是中国最大的铁路枢纽之一，为了备战2008年奥运会，北京与中国大多数大中城市之间均开通有直达列车，经过几次提速，加之采取夕发朝至、电脑联网售票等一系列措施，铁路成为北京奥运交通中解决国内游客出行的一个重要渠道。
住宿——让五洲朋友宾至如归
2008年奥运会期间，来自世界各地的运动员、教练、国际友人将齐聚北京。根据北京奥组委官方的保守预测，奥运会期间每天至少有40万人将在北京住宿。在北京奥运会的筹备过程中，将奥运会赛时住宿分为两部分：一部分是奥运会注册人员住宿，主责部门是奥组委运动会服务部住宿处；一部分是观众住宿，主责部门是北京市旅游局。住宿处与北京市旅游局保持密切的沟通和合作。
7年过去了，两个部门携手交出了满意的答卷。目前，北京奥组委已经与北京的119家饭店签署了《住宿接待服务协议》，以保证满足赛时注册客户群的住宿需求。奥运会期间，北京市将提供近3万间奥运签约客房，其中，五星级或相当于五星级42家，四星级或相当于四星级44家，三星级或相当于三星级29家，二星级或相当于二星级4家，主要分布在奥运会场馆周边、市中心及中央商务区等地。加上2个媒体村（汇园公寓1000间、北辰绿色家园6000间），赛时总房量达到3.7万间，基本能够满足赛时注册客人的住宿需求。
截至2007年底，北京市星级饭店已达到806家，客房数达到13万间，提前完成了申奥时提出的“到2008年北京星级酒店达到800家”的承诺。而且大部分签约酒店还顺利通过了“好运北京”系列赛事的检验。
安保——全力撑起“社会防护网”
中国政府和相关部门始终高度重视奥运安保工作。2004年12月，经中央政府批准，北京专门成立了国家级的奥运安保机构：2008年奥运会安全保卫工作协调小组，由20个国家部委和市级成员单位组成。
在奥运安保协调小组的领导下，初步确定了国家、赛区和场馆三个层级的安保指挥架构。北京以及天津、上海、青岛、沈阳、秦皇岛等赛区城市组建了安保实战指挥机构，各赛区安保工作标准一致、措施一致、政策一致。
7年来，在奥运安保协调小组和北京奥组委的领导下，奥运安保工作取得了显著成效，得到了中央以及各方面的肯定。同时，在国际奥委会对45项筹办工作的定期评估中，安保工作一直被评价为优秀。最近国际奥委会专家对北京和香港的安保计划工作水平和进展评估表示满意，认为安保方面“圆满完成测试赛的相关测试工作，尤其在与场馆团队的整合方面效果明显”。
如今，北京奥运安保工作已经进入了向赛时运行的全面转换阶段，各项工作都在稳步推进。
媒体服务——开启“一站式”的方便之门
奥运会不仅是运动员一比高低的赛场，也是全世界媒体的竞技场。迄今为止，已有125个国家和地区的1800家新闻机构报名采访北京2008年奥运会，仅注册记者数量就将达到21600名。这个数字也远远超过了参赛运动员和官员人数的总和。记者是奥运会最大的客户群，也是最活跃的参加者。媒体连接着全球的数十亿观众，一届成功的奥运会，离不开新闻媒体热情友好的报道和支持，所以“善待媒体，为媒体提供最优质的服务”是北京奥组委一贯的理念。
为了更好地满足媒体的需求，北京奥组委大胆创新，接连颁布新规，推出“一站式”服务、媒体接待日等特色媒体服务项目。这些项目不但是奥运会历史上的首创，更是在奥运会举办前为记者打开了解奥运会筹备情况的“方便之门”。
2008年7月8日，北京奥运会残奥会主新闻中心、国际广播中心和国际新闻中心正式启用，开始为世界各国和地区的媒体提供全方位服务。与此同时，北京奥运会的４位新闻发言人也随之在启用仪式上集体亮相。
国际奥委会北京奥运会协调委员会主席维尔布鲁根对主新闻中心赞赏有加，他说：“对北京奥运会的关注前所未有，北京奥运会主新闻中心向媒体敞开了大门。这里的工作环境非常好，非常宽敞，北京奥组委为媒体提供了一流的服务，让这里在几周时间内成为记者的家。”
人文奥运——展现古都文明新风尚
国际奥委会很早就提出奥运和文化结合的目标，因此对于北京这样一座有着数千年历史的文化古都来说，既是要履行对世界的承诺，也是向世界传播5000年中华文明的机会。
2008年奥运会期间，北京的著名景点故宫、长城、天坛等都已做好准备，用最美好的姿态迎接来自中外的游客。来自世界各地的游客在感受东方魅力的同时，也将充分感受到“人文奥运”的魅力。
“人文奥运”从更广泛的意义上来说，还包括对人素质的提高和体现“以人为本”的精神。排队日、让座卡、全民健身、奥运会比赛观赛礼仪的学习……这场轰轰烈烈的“迎奥运，讲文明，树新风”活动早就遍及了北京的大街小巷，推广到了赛场、商店、大街、酒店、公园、汽车、地铁……2008年，北京要全方位地向世界展示自己的文明形象。根据首都精神文明建设委员会办公室于2008年2月发布的“市民公共行为文明指数”显示：2007年，北京市民公共行为文明指数比2006年提高4.32个分值。其中，等车拥挤现象下降了10个百分点，这对文明指数的提升起着关键作用。
奥林匹克是一扇窗口，让中国与世界相互了解
从洛杉矶到雅典，中国参加了6届夏季奥运会，成为影响世界体坛格局的重要力量。中国健儿赢得了世界的尊重，他们顽强拼搏、为国争光，成为世界了解中国的一个窗口。
从两度申办到7年筹备，中国不断探求奥林匹克精神的真谛，在与不同文化的交流激荡中丰富自身的文明。中国对奥林匹克运动的理解从未像今天这样深刻，推动奥林匹克运动健康发展的意识从未像今天这样强烈，举办一届“有特色、高水平”奥运会的愿望从未像今天这样迫切。
中国希望为世界和平做出自己的贡献，向全世界展现中华文明的博大与宽厚，以中国的方式为奥林匹克精神注入新的元素，与奥林匹克精神实现着对接、互补和升华。
奥林匹克是一种途径，让中国与世界相互认同
2008年，中国迎来了自己的“奥运主场”，世界的目光从数百名中国运动员身上延伸到他们背后的13亿人民，人们的关注也从中国选手能拿多少奖牌，移向奥林匹克精神怎样在中华大地生根开花，中国的传统文化又将怎样接纳奥林匹克这个文明载体？
火炬传递正是遵循着这样一个沟通方式。承载了中国传统文化“渊源共生，和谐共融”理念的祥云火炬，将跃动不息的奥运圣火带至五大洲，在世界许多地方和中华大地传递，圣火照亮“和谐之旅”，播撒友谊与和平，点燃了世界人民对奥运会的期盼与激情。
经历风雨，见证坚强。跨越千山万水的祥云火炬，一路播撒奥林匹克梦想的同时，也在不断汲取新的力量。这力量，来自火炬手金晶那样的勇敢与镇静；这力量，来自无数海外中华儿女的追随与护持；这力量，来自不同肤色、不同种族人们的祝福与鼓励；这力量，来自“四川加油，中国加油”的激情呐喊。无论大洋彼岸还是世界之巅，从西方到东方，从老人到孩子，手与手传递，心与心交融。奥林匹克续添的力量源自人类共同的理想，又将人类的共同理想推向前进。
奥林匹克是一个承诺，中国与世界共同完成
体育运动为人的全面发展服务，促进维护人的尊严，推动社会和平发展，这是自奥林匹克运动诞生之日起，就始终坚持的核心理念。正如已故美国著名黑人运动员杰西·欧文斯所说：“在体育运动中，人们学到的不仅仅是比赛，还有尊重他人、生活伦理、如何度过自己的一生以及如何对待自己的同类。”
在奥林匹克精神的感召下，全世界济济一堂，人们看到的不是对抗与冲突，而是和解与友谊；不是单一文化的孤鸣，而是百花齐放的交响；不是封闭自锁的藩篱，而是开放交融的平台。在这种氛围中，人们得以拓展各自眼界，以世界公民的博大胸怀，认识和理解本民族以外的事物，学习和尊重其他文化，使奥林匹克运动提倡的国际交流真正得以实现。
7年前，因为相信“把奥运会带到一个占世界人口数量四分之一的国家将是一件伟大的事”，因为感动“世界给我17天，我还世界500年”，国际奥委会的委员们把手中神圣的一票投给了北京。而北京接过奥林匹克五环旗的那一刻，就意味着接过奥林匹克的使命。
“致力于建设一个和平美好的世界”不仅是奥林匹克的目标，更是北京的期待。一流的场馆、一流的环境、一流的设施，北京在7年的实践中一条条履行自己的承诺，而更重要的是，履行承诺的过程也成为推动中国社会文明进步的契机。
站在时间的坐标上，回望和前瞻北京的奥运征程，中国、北京，有理由充满信心地告诉全世界：这一份承诺让我们备感庄严，而全部承诺的兑现更是让中国人民备感荣耀。正如《国际奥委会评估报告》中所言：“北京奥运会将给中国和世界留下独一无二的宝贵遗产”。
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