BEIJING
2008
Summer Games of the XXIX Olympiad
8-24 August 2008
On 13 July 2001 at the 112th IOC Session in Moscow, Beijing was
elected the Host City for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
(BOCOG) was established on 13 December 2001, five months after
Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Games.
The
Committee currently consists of 15 departments
looking after everything from venue planning to
environmental management. BOCOG will gradually
expand its departments and staff in line with
the demands of the Olympic preparations. By the
year 2008, there will be more than 30 departments
and 4.000 staff under the BOCOG umbrella.
The
Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing will take
place from 8 until 24 August 2008. The Games will
play host to the 28 summer sports currently on
the Olympic program. Approximately 10.500 athletes
are expected to participate in the Games with
around 20.000 accredited media bringing the Games
to the world.
The Beijing 2008 emblem
The
official emblem of Beijing 2008, entitled "Chinese
Seal-Dancing Beijing", cleverly combines
the Chinese seal and the art of calligraphy with
sporting features transforming the elements into
a human figure running forward and embracing triumph.
The figure resembles the Chinese character "Jing"
which stands for the name of the host city and
represents a particularly significant Chinese
style. The artwork embodies four messages:
•
Chinese culture
• the color of red China
• Beijing welcomes friends from all over
the world
• to challenge the extreme, achieve perfection
and promote the Olympic motto of
Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher,
stronger).
Four
more cities
The
Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX
Olympiad in Beijing 2008 (BOCOG) has announced
that partnership agreements have been signed with
four cities outside Beijing that will host the
football preliminaries during the 2008 Games.
The four cities are Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang
and Qinhuangdao.
The
construction of the venues in these four cities
is well on track, with the construction work on
the Tianjin stadium having started earlier this
year and the work on the Qinhuangdao stadium having
finished on 30 July last year. The venues in Shanghai
and Shenyang already exist but will be renovated
for the Olympic Games.
Beijing
2008 Mascot
Since
the first mascot in Olympic history made its appearance
at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, mascots have
become a main element of the Olympic image. As
a unique and popular image full of vitality, a
mascot is able to materialize the Olympic spirit,
communicate the concepts of each Olympic Games,
promote the history and culture of the host city
and create a festive atmosphere for the Games.
Mascots
act as a significant vehicle for communicating the Olympic spirit
to the general public, especially children and youth. The International
Olympic Committee and the organizing committees of every Olympic
Games require high quality of the mascot design. The unveiling
of the mascot for each Olympic Games has drawn global attention
and become the highlight of the Games. During the evolution of
the Olympic mascots, innovation and personality are always top
priorities while importance is attached to the participation of
the general public, particularly the children.
The
five mascots are officially called the Five Friendlies.
They are Beibei, the fish; Jingjing, the panda;
Huanhuan, the Olympic flame; Yingying, the Tibetan
antelope; and Nini, the swallow. The first syllables
from their two-syllable names form a line that
reads “Beijing Huanying Ni”, or in
English – “Welcome to Beijing”.
The mascot’s colours were chosen in line
with the colours of the Olympic rings.
In the ancient culture of China, there is a great
tradition of spreading blessings through signs
and symbols. Each of the mascots symbolises a
different blessing and will honour this ancient
tradition by bringing their blessings to the children
of the world. Beibei represents the blessing of
prosperity, Jingjing the blessing of happiness,
Huanhuan the blessing of passion, Yingying the
blessing of health and Nini the blessing of good
luck.
Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games
of the XXIX Olympiad
24 Dongsi Shitiao Street, Beijing, China, 100007
Tel:: (8610)65282009
Fax: (8610)65282008
2008@beijing-olympic.org.cn
Four
more cities
Mascots
act as a significant vehicle for communicating the Olympic spirit
to the general public, especially children and youth. The International
Olympic Committee and the organizing committees of every Olympic
Games require high quality of the mascot design. The unveiling
of the mascot for each Olympic Games has drawn global attention
and become the highlight of the Games. During the evolution of
the Olympic mascots, innovation and personality are always top
priorities while importance is attached to the participation of
the general public, particularly the children.
