Fantastic place, wonderful people

(BEIJING, August 24) -- A fantastic place to discover with wonderful people was how IOC Communications Director Giselle Davies described Beijing when she sat down to talk with a reporter from the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on Sunday, August 24, the last day of the Games.

Davies, who has been to Beijing numerous times since she joined the IOC in 2002, hopes to return to Beijing again to explore the city more. Though she has enjoyed her stay here during the Games, work has kept her busy, and she has had limited time to really relax and take in everything.

One thing she has had time to appreciate, though, is the greenery. The city has become noticeably greener over the past few years, she remarked, adding that, Beijing is "more and more becoming a really beautiful city."

A greener city is one of the legacies of Beijing 2008, but the top legacy benefit of this year's Games is the legacy of sports to the Olympic Movement and to China, said Davies, adding that now this is the start of a new and wonderful journey. She pointed out that the Olympic Movement has brought the values of sports and what Olympism stands for to this populous nation through education programs and other projects.

"This will be something that will last for many, many, many years now," Davies said.

With the end of the Games finally here, Davies said that she would sit down and enjoy herself at the Olympic Closing Ceremony. "China delivered, Beijing delivered," she said. And the IOC worked hard throughout the Games. Now, "it's time to enjoy and enjoy the party."