Interview: BOCOG media operations benefit world press

(BEIJING, August 2) -- The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) will do its best to help the world media cover the forthcoming Olympic Games, director of BOCOG Media Operations Department Sun Weijia told the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

BOCOG "treats media kindly"

The Beijing Olympics are expected to attract some four billion news audience across the globe. "They cannot all come to Beijing to watch the competitions, but rather will follow the developments through various kinds of media, such as TV, newspaper, broadcast, and internet," Sun said in an exclusive interview with the website on the occasion of the one-year-countdown to the Games. Following are excerpts of his remarks.

During the Games in August 2008, Beijing will receive some 21,600 accredited journalists, including 16,000 broadcasters and 5,600 writers and photographers, in addition to 10,000 non-accredited journalists. Besides news stories, they will also file commentary reports. In a sense, their news coverage will reflect the views of society. To treat the press kindly means to treat the public kindly.

"One-stop service" has been acclaimed

Since the "one-stop service" for foreign media was launched on July 1 this year, congratulatory words have been heard from all quarters.

Spearheaded by BOCOG, the service is a united and coordination working scheme engaging relevant government bodies and organizations in processing submissions of foreign media. It has significantly simplified the process of acceptance, review, approval, reply, contact and service provision.

The move is seen as an innovative one in the history of the Olympic Games and important for new China visitors

Broadcasting matters to be settled down at September Meeting

Beijing will host the third World Broadcaster Meeting from September 23-29, 2007, signalizing the final phase of the preparatory work for the Olympics.

During the week-long meeting, over 300 delegates of radio and television rights-holding broadcasters from around the world will be briefed by the host broadcaster, Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co., Ltd (BOB) on its broadcasting production plan, the International Broadcast Center planning and the venue services for broadcasters.

The meeting will also hear presentations by BOCOG on transport, accommodation, technology, accreditation and marketing. The Media Operations Department will assist other BOCOG departments in the briefing.

Some 16,000 broadcasters from over 200 broadcasting organizations will cover the Beijing Olympics from August 8-24, 2008.