|
Previous hosts offer Olympic tips
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-01-18 06:19
A three-day seminar currently being held in Beijing and the opening of a new
representative office are giving the organizers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games a chance to learn the experiences of the previous two hosts.
Led by Major General Sotirios Tsenes, a group of four security experts from
Athens, the host city of the 2004 Games, came to meet officials of Beijing
Olympic Security Co-ordination Group. At the same time, the representative
office of the Sydney-Beijing Olympic Secretariat was inaugurated.
With the arrival of the Greek Olympic security experts, co-operation in
Olympic security was officially launched between Beijing and Athens.
"The foundation of successful security work during the Olympic Games is to
predict all the potential dangers and make advanced preparations," suggested
Tsenes. "Strengthening international co-operation with experienced organizations
is also important."
During the 2004 Games, Athens spent an unprecedented US$1.5 billion on
security. It received regular security advice from several countries, including
the United States and Britain
Besides the security issue, the Beijing organizers will get more support from
Australian experts after the opening of a permanent China representative office
of Sydney-Beijing Olympic Secretariat (SBOS) yesterday.
"Australian support for Beijing has a long history," said Sandy Hollway,
senior adviser of SBOS and also the chief executive officer of the Sydney
Olympics organizing committee.
"The work of SBOS since 2001 has been of great mutual benefit to Australia
and to Beijing. Our office in China will be a continuous channel of
communication and a continuous mechanism for co-operation between Australia and
Beijing."
Sydney staged the Olympic Games in 2000. It was described as "the most
successful Olympic Games ever" by Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the
International Olympic Committee at the time.
(China Daily 01/18/2006 page2)
|
