2008 Summer Olympics

Beijing, China

The XXIX Olympiad

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Beijing Games a success so far

The Beijing Olympic Games are progressing successfully, said IOC spokesperson Giselle Davies at a joint IOC-BOCOG press conference on Monday.

As such, instead of meeting on a daily basis as originally planned, the IOC and BOCOG have decided to come together for press briefings every other day.

Davies revealed that IOC president Jacques Rogge moved into the Olympic Village in Beijing on Sunday night. The sailing-aficionado-turned-Olympic-official plans to check out Handball and Hockey competitions on Monday, as well as visit the International Broadcast Center.

Olympic Games a boost for jobs

Beijing 2008: focus on the Olympic Games and employment

As the Games of the XXIX Olympiad finally got under way last Friday with the spectacular Opening Ceremony in Beijing, an expected global audience of hundred of millions of TV viewers will watch competitors strive for Olympic glory over the next 12 days. They will see a city transformed by the Games – and not only in the showpiece competition venues. The "Olympic Factor" is more than just skin-deep cosmetics; it has resulted in a huge boost to the city's economy.

Beijing residents benefiting from Olympic Games

Experts estimate the Games will have brought an extra 105.5 billion yuan (USD 13.4 billion) to Beijing's GDP between 2004 and 2008. The city's economy grew at an annual rate of 12.2 per cent between 2001, when Beijing was awarded the Games, and 2006. Over the same period, Beijing's per capita GDP more than doubled to USD 6,300, while the average annual wage for Beijing city workers rose from 20,962 yuan (about USD 3,050) in 2001 to 40,117 yuan (about USD 5,840) in 2006 – an increase of almost 110 per cent, and an annual rise of 15.7 per cent in real terms after inflation is factored in.

Nearly two million news jobs created

A wide cross-section of Beijing's commercial sectors has benefited from the Olympic Games, none more so than the construction industry. Major building projects have resulted in the creation of an extra 430,000 jobs in the sector between 2004 and 2008, while the retail and wholesale industries will have gained 130,000 new jobs. Other sectors to have gained include finance and insurance, the IT industry and communications. Cumulatively, the Games will have resulted in the creation of 1.8 million new jobs across all sectors, more than 370,000 of them this year.

Growing service sector will counteract post-Olympic lull

The Olympic factor is also boosting Beijing's service sector and that of China as a whole. In the past, Beijing's tertiary sector has lagged behind that of cities in developed countries, which are typically around 80 per cent. But it has been growing strongly and is forecast to reach 70 per cent in 2008. That growth will help to offset any post-Olympic slowdown in China's economy, something every host city and nation goes through in the immediate aftermath.

Beijing Games help lift the international language barrier

One side effect of hosting the Games has been the take-up of foreign languages by Beijing residents – a boon for their future career prospects as China integrates even more closely with the rest of the world. A city-wide campaign over the past five years has encouraged inhabitants to learn and speak English and other languages. More than one million people have taken lessons and training courses, while the city has also encouraged taxi and bus drivers, shop assistants and post office workers to improve their language skills. Officials say nearly five million Beijing residents can now speak English to some degree, representing about 35 per cent of the population. With an estimated 30 million people overseas learning Chinese, the Beijing Games have served to break down international barriers.

Olympic attendance rate over ninety percent

On Monday, two of the 18 Olympic venues in Beijing had an attendance rate of over ninety percent, reported Wang Wei, Executive Vice-President and Secretary General of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG) at a joint IOC/BOCOG press briefing on Tuesday.

On Monday, August 11, there were a total of 20 competition events staged in 16 venues or venue clusters, 14 of which were located in Beijing. The remaining two venues were held in co-host cities. Thirteen gold medals were awarded during the day. The competition venues received 2,975 athletes and 1,853 team officials from the 888 participating teams, as well as 2,087 technical officials, 186,037 spectators, 4,750 VIPS and 6,455 journalists. The Olympic Green received approximately 40,000 visitors yesterday.

Competition organization and venue operations ran smoothly throughout the day, Wang Wei said. Two of the 18 venues in Beijing had an attendance rate of over ninety percent, six over eighty percent, eight over seventy percent, and the remaining two had over a sixty percent attendance rate.

The athlete village welcomed 540 more athletes yesterday, and 59 athletes left, leaving the total resident count at 13,575. The athletes in the village hale from 204 different countries and regions. The Olympic Family Hotels now have a total of 1,793 residents and are expected to receive another 25 more guests after 75 guests left yesterday. The number of media personnel using Olympic Identity and Accreditation Cards stands at 23,936. Altogether, 79 dignitaries left Beijing on or before Monday, August 11.

In response to concerns about ticket scalping, Wang Wei said that scalping is prohibited under Chinese law and fixed measures have been implemented to prevent scalping. All Opening and Closing Ceremony tickets have the names of the ticket holder on the ticket. Wei noted that there are also quotas on the number of tickets any one person can buy for competition events.

As part of the IOC anti-doping initiative, IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies told the media gathering that 1500 doping tests have already been completed. It is estimated that over 4500 tests will be conducted during the Beijing Games.

2008 Olympic Events

Opening Ceremony

• August 8th

Track Events - sprints

• 100 Meter Dash
• 200 Meter Dash
• 400 Meter Dash

Track Events - Middle Distance

• 800 Meter
• 1,500 Meter

Track Events - Long Distance

• 5,000 Meter
• 10,000 Meter

Track Events - Relays

• 4 x 100 Meter Relay
• 4 x 400 Meter Relay

Track Events - Obstacles

• 100 Meter Hurdles
• 110 Meter Hurdles
• 400 Meter Hurdles

Athletics - Field Events

• Discus Throw
• Hammer Throw
• High Jump
• Javelin Throw
• Long Jump
• Pole Vault
• Shot Put
• Triple Jump

Athletics - Track and Field

• Decathlon
• Heptathlon

Athletics - Road Events

• 50 km Race Walk
• 20 km Race Walk
• Marathon

Aquatics

• Swimming
• Diving
• Synchronized Swimming
• Water Polo

Gymnastics

• Artistic
• Rhythmic
• Trampoline

Other Sports and Disciplines

• Archery
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Canoeing / Kayaking
• Cycling
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Handball
• Hockey
• Judo
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Soccer
• Softball
• Table Tennis
• Tae Kwon Do
• Tennis
• Triathlon
• Volleyball
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Closing Ceremony

• August 24th