Press conference: Beijing Games competition organization

Related story: NOC entry forms received

Date/Time: 11:00 a.m., Friday, August 1

Venue: Main Press Center (MPC)

Sun Weide

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to today's press conference. Today we are very glad to have with us Mr. Zhang Jilong, director of BOCOG Sports Department and Mr. Liu Wenbin, deputy director of BOCOG Sports Department. They will introduce us the competition organization of the games of the XXIX Olympiad. First we will ask Director Zhang to introduce this topic.

Zhang Jilong gives the speech.

Zhang Jilong

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. Today I am very pleased to be here before the opening of the Games. I would like to introduce the organization work of the sports competition. Actually the sports competitions include 4 aspects, first of all, sports competition management, which deals mainly with the overall planning before the Games and in charge of the monitoring and adjustment of the actual running of the Games. The second aspect is about the sport competition organization of every single sport competition. For the time being, this work is done by the organizational team and covers the 38 disciplines of 28 sports.

The team members went through 'Good Luck Beijing' test events. They are all in place and have started to provide the service being officially trained for. The third aspect deals with the planning and operation of the competition, the choice of equipment, planning and training and many training during the Games, provide service to IF and technical service groups, compile and distribute official publications designated by IOC. They are in charge of the competition operations of the Sports Command Center (SCC) which deals with the sports competition services. This includes the competition scheduling. For example, they can accept countries and regions registration and application, verify the competition results stats and live sports shows at the venues.

Sports Command Center (SCC), runs under the leadership of the Main Operation Center (MOC). Currently, its basical structure and operation mechanism are fixed. They've started the monitoring and control of the work of training. SCC has a weather service group, composing Chinese experts on meteorology and of Beijing Meteorological Bureau. They are in charge of the surveillance of weather conditions, and their possible impacts on the competitions. They provide to MOC daily meteorological analysis and bad weather alerts. Currently, this work is basically completed, with 700 sports organizers at 37 venues and 4,626 volunteers all in place. More than 1.4 million pieces of equipments have arrived. 87 training venues are open to the training since July 27. Currently, everyday, there are 200 to 300 athletes who go to these training places. Other athletes will arrive and this number will increase. As for the entry of qualification verification, it has been done smoothly. By July 31, we have received 204 countries and regions of NOCs. There are 9,489 entry forms and 204 NOCs with 11,526 athletes completed their dedication. We have 151 NOC delegation registration seminars and confirm the qualification of 11,028 athletes, including 363 athletes holding P card. For the scheduling, we have almost completed this work with fixed pre-competition sessions and rotations and the order of sessions and events.

During the 19 competition days from August 6 to 24, the addition of the games will have 28 sports, 38 disciplines, 625 sessions, 2173 events, 302 of which will present gold medals. Besides, we have 1264 national technical officials which will be selected by BOCOG and National Sports Administration. They are well trained besides the IFs selected 1649 international technical officials. They will also arrive in Beijing and participate in this organization work. BOCOG and IFs of the other countries have established a very good working relation.

For the past 7 years, we have received, BOCOG have received 154 visits by 371 person/times from IFs and dispatched 187 person/times to 106 congresses and/or international tournaments of IFs. Those visits contributed to our mutual trust and understanding as well as smooth progress of the competition preparation.

Currently, BOCOG and all the IFs have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and made a very clear statement on mutual obligations and rights. In 5 days, the first event will take place. All the workers and volunteers of the organization team are ready. They will provide balance and fair platform for the competition. We hope the athletes will have excellent result.

This is the presentation that the BOCOG Sports Department can give you before the opening of the Games. This is a brief introduction. At the same time, we are very pleased that through you, our friends from the media, we can provide you with the information you need.

Sun Weide

Thank you very much for your presentation. Now you can ask questions. Before raising your questions, please identify yourselves. Before asking your question, I would like to remind you to stick to the topic of the press conference. If you have other topics, you can ask me after the press conference.

Reuters

My Question is on the final number of athletes who will be competing in Beijing. Is it correct that the final number is 11,452 registered athletes for competition? Thank you.

Liu Wenbin answers the question.

Liu Wenbin

I would like to reply to your answer. When the NOC gave us the entry forms, there are 2 steps. The first one is the long list of names. They gave us all the athletes who can be qualified in the Games. Now we have 11,526 persons, that's the number we had when we gathered all the lists and the entry forms. The 2nd stage is at the registration center at the Olympic Village. Every delegation has an entry registration seminar. The delegation involved can give to BOCOG the exact number of athletes coming to Beijing. The number that we got from the entry forms and the final number at the Olympic Village will be slightly different.

Up to yesterday, we have 11526 registration athletes. They have not finished the actual number of athletes. We still have to wait for it.

Beijing Radio Station

I'd like to ask that now you have reshuffled the schedule of the events whereas the public has the tickets with the previous schedule. Maybe you have published the information. But if they are absent-minded, they might not know about this schedule. So what will you do?

Liu Wenbin

The schedule is a rolling schedule because we have to adapt the final actual number of athletes to determine the actual time needed for the events, that's why we have to adjust to the time. As you mentioned, for the tickets that the public purchased, from the competition point of view, the opening of the sessions and events will not be modified but the actual duration that will be slightly changed.

AP

This is for Mr. Zhang and Mr. Liu. I'm curious on how did you manage to focus on the Olympic event, given the fact that for the last few months we've had earthquake in Sichuan, controversy of the pollution and the problems in Tibet, how did you manage to just keep your eyes on your job despite the distractions. I wish you can both answer this. How do you manage to keep away from the distractions?

Liu Wenbin

My responsibility is to put my heart and mind into my job. Of course, there have been huge earthquakes at Sichuan and other some other natural disasters. We have expressed our concerns and made contributions to the disasters, however, I'm fully 100% concentrated on the task for the organization of the Games.

Zhang Jilong

Mr. Liu has spoken personally on his point of view. The management team of BOCOG will exert all the efforts under the guidance of IOC. With cooperation from all the international federations, and under the direct leadership of the IOC, we will do well on our organization work. If we do this well, then we will have made contributions to the Olympics Games and will also be an answer to your question. I am confident that all members of our staff will do their best.

Sun Weide

I would like to add. This year is an exceptional year in China. We have snow storm, huge earthquake in Sichuan. Under the leadership of the Chinese government and the support of all the people, we overcome our difficulties. For example, after the earthquake, we adjust the torch relay route so that the Games will be dealt with all together. I am sure that with the international community's support, we will have a well-organized Olympics with characteristics.

Beijing Youth Daily

My question is for Mr. Liu. According to the data you have, can you tell us except the Chinese delegation, which country will have the greatest number of athletes delegation? You said that the time of the sessions will not be adjusted, but the duration might vary, the ending of the sessions might be changed. In this case, would you describe your organization?

Liu Wenbin

We don't have the most up to date data, the Chinese delegation remains the largest. The second question, for the sessions, we have already fixed them. However, the time of the session ends might vary and can be adjusted according to the entries. I think the beginning of the next session will not change.

CRI

Will high temperature and unforeseen events lead to the adjustment of the schedule? We will have strict anti-doping control. Would that affect the timelines of the holding of the scheduled events?

Liu Wenbin

Adjustment of the schedules will be as follows. There are three kinds, the first is delay, the second is postpone, and the cancellation. We have all clear rules and very clear decision-making procedures. If temperature is high, we have to adjust the schedule then we have to see the regulation of the IFs. The anti-doping procedure won't affect the scheduling. Tests in and outside the venue won't affect our scheduling.

Foreign Reporter

There is still going to be new Olympic record set, new world record set. You are very aware of the scientific improvement, not the improvement of the sports venues that you deal with. What is the expectation of this Olympics? What kind of records you would like to lead to see broken? And secondly, I have been interested in seeing any reflection you had about whether this pattern of new records at new Olympics can continue? For how long?

Liu Wenbin

BOCOG and the whole nation have exerted great efforts for this Beijing Games. Of course, we try our best to provide you with the best competition conditions, so that the athletes can do their best performance. If there are a good number of records broken, all the better. As for whether that can continue, well, you know, mankind will always challenge the limits.