China enhancing Olympics-related legal publicity

(BEIJING, July 24) -- China's legal and sport authorities have taken measures to strengthen legal publicity for the success of the 2008 Olympic Games.

In a recent joint circular, the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Ministry of Justice, the General Administration of Sport and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) called for vigorous efforts to spread the knowledge about the laws and regulations related to the Olympic Games, the Chinese government's international obligations to host the Beijing Olympics, the Olympic rules, the protection of Olympic intellectual property rights and the legal use of Olympic symbols and investigation and treatment of infringement cases.

The publicity campaign, starting now and extending to the end of the Olympic Games, also pinpoints the laws and regulations regarding Olympics-related services and logistics, including public security, traffic safety, urban construction, health and hygiene, food safety, medical service and epidemic prevention, and security checks on the site of the large-scale public activities.

According to the circular, the publicity and training campaign should target the key areas around the Olympic venues and the key people such as volunteers and staff in charge of the Games' preparation and organization.

The circular said the legal education should be integrated with mass sport to raise the level of the citizens' awareness of law and promote sports for all.

Legal publicity should also focus on hotels, restaurants, transport stations, the airport, tourist spots and public service places.

The authorities called on broadcast and TV stations, newspapers and internet media to widen their coverage and upgrade their appealing force to effectively contribute to Olympics-related legal publicity.