2008 Games expected to be 'People's Olympics'
By Liu Chang (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-11-09 23:06

Members of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) -- the advisory body to the municipal government -- yesterday put forward advice on how to hold a "People's Olympics" in 2008.

Together with "Green Olympics" and "High-tech Olympics," it is a concept for the Beijing 2008 Games.

Yang Tieli, a member of the Jiu San Society, a non-Communist party, yesterday advised promoting education about the Olympics to residents, especially students and service sector workers.

"Beijing now lacks special organizations for Olympic education and an overall education plan," he said yesterday at a seminar organized by the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee.

Yang advised setting up courses on Olympic knowledge at sports colleges and sports departments of universities.

According to his statistics, few of 14 sports colleges and 102 sports departments at universities offer Olympics lessons.

Yang also advised carrying out lessons on Olympics knowledge at primary and middle schools.

Education was especially stressed for people engaged in the services sectors in Beijing, especially taxi drivers.

Volunteers for the 2008 Games were also urged to receive education and foreign language training.

From July of last year until now, the Jiu San Society has organized a dozen exhibitions on the Olympics in Beijing and some 50,000 people have visited.

Meanwhile, Liu Yifei, the Beijing Municipal Committee of CPPCC member, said the Games should be humane-orientated.

"The Games should not influence daily lives of local residents much," she said yesterday.

Cao Li, a Jiu San Society member, yesterday advised Beijing Olympic organizers to take good care of not only participants of the Games, including athletes, coaches and referees, but also audiences and visitors.

She advised providing food of various tastes.

Multi-language services are also urged, including those in minor languages.

"As culture and living styles differ between China and western countries, we should take good care of various groups at the Games," Lei said.

Furthermore, she advised strengthening facility construction for disabled people and senior citizens in 2008 during the great event.

"We should try our best to make every participant and visitor to feel at home. I think that will be a people's Olympics then," she said.

Song Guilun, vice-director of the Publicity Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the concept of "People's Olympics" should be clearly clarified in the near future for a successful Games four years later.