Olympia 2008 in Beijing - By: Emeli Dean

In July 2001 the International Olympic Committee (ICO) chose Beijing as the equalizer of the Olympic Games 2008. In total there were ten cities applying: Bangkok, Havana, Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, Seville, Osaka, Toronto, Paris, Istanbul and Beijing. ‘One World, One Dream’ is the theme slogan for the coming up Olympia which should convey the meaning that in spite of the differences in colors, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of Mankind for peace.

There will probably be 205 nations participating in Beijing 2008. As Serbia and Montenegro are separate countries since 2006 they will send 2 teams. South and North Korea seek for the first time after the division in 1945 to send a joint team. The starting date is the August 8, 2008 in the late evening and will continue until the 24th of the same month. In China and other Asiatic countries with Chinese influence the number eight is a lucky number. In these 17 days of effort, joy and tears; 302 contests in 28 sports will be hold, this is one more than in Athens 2004.

Beijing is China’s capital and carries a history of more than 3,000 years when the city was named Ji. Even today it is possible to see parts of historical monuments such as in the Forbidden City which was built from 1406 until 1420. Beijing as the political center is also a traffic hub and the second largest industrial center. That is one of the reasons Beijing has several problems with the air and water pollution.

For the Olympic Games 2008 there are several arrangements in place for a better environment. One of the three mottos is next to “High-Tech-Olympic Games“ and „Cultural Olympic Games“ the probably most significant motto „Green Olympic Games“. According to Beijing’s application documents the city plans to reduce the automobile emission of hazardous substances to the European level.

In the northern part of Beijing they are running a reforestation program in order to prevent the sandstorms which ravage Peking every spring. To give the citizens a healthier environment the city also plans to develop the green areas to 50%, promote eco-friendly technologies and out placing of environmental stressful concerns. There are many more environmental protection arrangements planed with a total cost of around 71.3 billion Renminbi (about 9.6 billion US$). Within the UN-Climate Conference the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Yvo de Boer praised the Chinese concept and commented: “The idea of the green Olympic Games could develop exemplary function. If Beijing can implement this concept successfully other countries will feel encouraged to do the same.”

China’s first participation in the Olympic history was 1932 when they sent the sprinter Liu Changchun as the only Chinese representative. Unfortunately, he could not qualify for the finals. For the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, China participated with a team of 69 athletes. Again they could not achieve a medal.

For the first time in the Olympic history there will be an Expo from August 8th to August 18th. The Expo will replace the Olympic Stamp Exhibition which was organized from the equalizer since 1988. At the Olympic Expo you will find apart from stamps from all over the world, commemorative coins, emblems and art work with the theme Olympic Games.

According to the tradition; the Olympic Flame will be officially lit in Olympia, Greece on March 25th, 2008. From there it will be carried across Greece and it will be brought to Beijing on March 31st. In Beijing, a ceremony will be held for the arrival of the flame to China and Beijing, that is when the 2008 Olympic torch relay will begin. In total there will be 21,880 people carrying the torch in 130 days over 137.000 km (85,127 miles) around the world over all 5 continents.

One of the highlights of this route will be the endeavor to bring the Olympic Torch up to the highest mountain in the world, the Mount Everest. A professional team will attempt to take the fire on a certain picked day in May with the best climatic conditions possible. On August 8th the flame will reach Beijing again for the opening ceremony.

About the Author

About the Author: Emeli Dean is a high-ranking writer on sports for http://www.instantactionsports.com/uk/ Feel free to reprint this article in its whole on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

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