International media representatives warmed up for their coverage
of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing yesterday by
visiting some of the venue construction sites in the capital
city.
The day before the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games first
World Press Briefing, those attending the meeting visited some of
the Olympic venues including the National Stadium, the National
Aquatics Center, the Main Press Center and the Media Village.
"I'm very impressed with the progress and these dramatic
facilities, some of the finest in the world, they'll be very
exciting for the athletes to compete in," said Kevan Gosper,
chairman of the Press Commission of the International Olympic
Commission (IOC).
His words were echoed by many journalists. "The construction of
the venues seems to be progressing very well and the aquatics
center should be a beautiful venue once they finish the outside,"
said Monte Lorell, managing editor of USA Today's Sports
Weekly.
As the 2008 Olympic host city, Beijing is attracting increased
global attention. This press briefing attracted approximately 300
representatives from 93 international news organizations and
officials from the IOC.
"We're looking at the Beijing Games as much more than a sports
event," said Lorell. "We look at it as a news event, a business
story as well. So far what I've seen is a very well-organized
operation. The construction is moving ahead very well."
The journalists in attendance are being given a full-day
briefing on the latest progress in the preparations of the 2008
Games today with media operations the main topic of interest. The
Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
(BOCOG) is also receptive to suggestions from leading news agencies
and newspapers.
In order to provide efficient services for foreign journalists
to cover the Olympic Games in China, BOCOG President Liu Qi, has already announced some special
policies for the media during the event. He's pledged that China's
relevant authorities are formulating a regulation to allow
unrestricted media reporting during the Games. This commitment was
welcomed by IOC officials.
"I think they're very good policies," said Gosper. "I think
BOCOG is doing everything to ensure that the media will be able to
report happily and easily in line with the commitments they made to
the IOC."?
(China Daily September 27, 2006)
