President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge inscribed a poster for a Chinese movie based on China's first athlete to the Olympics.
"The One" is based on the story of sprinter Liu Changchun, the first Chinese athlete to compete in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. He entered the 100 and 200 meters run but failed to qualify for the finals.
It is considered an honor in Chinese society if a celebrity shows support or endorsement by writing a message or a name on something.
It was of special artistic value to tell the story of a Chinese Olympic front-runner in a movie, Rogge said.
Rogge, who is in Beijing for the 16th assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC), said that this was the first time he had made inscriptions for a movie.
Wang Zhebin, producer of the film, said the movie has been completed and will be screened on May 17 in China.
The 2008 Olympic Games, scheduled to open on August 8 in Beijing, has been the source of inspiration for many artistic creations.
A paper-cutting specialist Lu Xue made paper images for more than 100 Chinese Olympic champions, include China's table tennis queen Deng Yaping and the Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang. The display is being held in Hong Kong and will be moved to Qingdao and Beijing in the coming days.
(Xinhua News Agency April 9,2008)
