The host broadcast organization of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games
will be also the host broadcaster of the Paralympic Games for the
first time in the history of the Olympics.
The host is Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co., Ltd (BOB), a
Sino-foreign joint venture funded by the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and the
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS).
On Thursday BOCOG, BOB and OBS officially signed an agreement
regarding the broadcasting operation and management for the Beijing
Paralympic Games, marking the official kick-off of the Paralympics
broadcasting operations.
According to preliminary plans, broadcasting for the forthcoming
Paralympics will be conducted through high definition equipment for
the first time. BOB will provide live telecast signals for 11
sports, including athletics, boccia, cycling, judo, swimming, table
tennis, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing,
wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
Chinese TV stations such as CCTV and the Beijing TV Station will
be in charge of producing telecast signals and some 600 Chinese TV
crews are expected to be involved in the job.
Present at the ceremony were Mr. Jiang Xiaoyu, executive
vice-president of BOCOG and chairman of BOB, Ms. Tang Xiaoquan,
executive vice-president of BOCOG and vice-president of China
Disabled Persons' Federation, Mr. Hein Verbruggen, vice chairman of
BOB, Mr. Philip Craven, president of International Paralympic
Committee, Mr. Manolo Romero, chief executive officer of BOB, and
other BOB board members as well.
(BOCOG April 23, 2007)