ago.03.2007
Almost all venues are completed. Volunteer recruitment is underway. Tickets are on sale around the world. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are now just over one year away.
“The excitement is mounting” says IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Hein Verbruggen. “But there is still a lot of work to do of course! I am happy to say that, today, with only one year remaining, we are in a very positive position and are confident in BOCOG’s ability to deliver top-quality Olympic Games.” He continued, “We are seeing the physical element of the Games becoming a reality with magnificent new stadiums being completed and put to use, and thanks to the “Good Luck Beijing” sports events, BOCOG is currently working to fine tune its operations ahead of next year’s Games.”
Construction of all the competition venues for the Games will be completed by the end of this year, except for the National Stadium, which will be completed early in 2008. As they are finalised, these new, renovated or temporary installations are being put into operation and tested in the context of the “Good Luck Beijing” sports events, where competitions in different sports are used to test not only the venues but also certain operational aspects of the Games’ preparations.
Beyond the stadiums and physical testing of the Games venues and operational plans, Beijing 2008 is also experiencing tremendous success in the public domain. Ticket sales, the first phase of which started on 15 April 2007, have seen tremendous interest in both China and overseas, with more than 700,000 ticket applications having been placed for 4.9 million tickets when phase one closed on 30 June. The second phase will begin in October 2007. Also in the field of volunteer recruitment for the Games, Beijing 2008 is seeing massive interest, with over 530,000 people having applied to become Games time volunteers.
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad – Beijing 2008 will take place from 8 to 24 August 2008. The Games in Beijing will play host to the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic programme. Approximately 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in the Games with around 20,000 accredited media bringing the Games to the world.