Green Olympics

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be a momentous event for the Chinese people, but especially for residents of Beijing, Qingdao, Qinghuangdao, Shenyang, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, venue cities for Games competitions.

 

By 2008, Beijing, the host city for the XXIX Olympiad, is expected to complete a major social and cultural transformation, making it one of world's most popular tourist destinations.

 

After Mayor Wang Qishan accepted the Olympic flag from the president of the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee in August 2004, the eyes of expectant world turned to Beijing. The end of the Athens Olympic ushered in a new phase of Beijing's preparations for the 2008 Games.

 

Beijing, under the leadership of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), will stage a "high-level" Olympic Games "with distinguishing features" in 2008, which means it will be a "showcase event" for China's modern features. One of those "high-levels" involves the mass participation; a great deal of volunteerism is expected in support of the Games.

On January 14, 2005, at the Second Plenary Session of BOCOG, BOCOG President Liu Qi outlined eight criteria for a "high-level" Olympic Games: first-class infrastructure and venues, high-profile cultural events, limited traffic congestion, professional media services and outstanding performances by local athletes.

On June 26, 2005, the 2008 Olympic slogan "One World, One Dream" was launched. It conveys the noble ideal of the people of Beijing and China to share their civilization and to create a bright future in cooperation with the world's people.

 

In preparation for the 2008 Games, the city has adopted the themes: "Green Olympics," "High-tech Olympics" and "People's Olympics" through which investments in the city and the Games are taking place.

 

Green Olympics

Greening is the application of sustainable, high-tech environmental-protection principles that involve planting, maintaining and protecting plant life and the use of state-of-the-art architectural principles, building techniques and materials in Olympic construction. Planting projects are expected to increase the public's awareness of the importance of natural vegetation and the need to maintain and protect the natural landscape. Green Olympics is an attempt to promote this awareness and to encourage the nationwide adoption of the principles of environmental protection and resource management through the many activities of the 2008 Olympic Games.