china beijing olympics overview of the beijing

9
A 24 The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training Guide The Pre-Games Training Guide The Pre-Games Training Guide The Pre-Games Training Guide The Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008 Overview of the Beijing Paralympic Games 1. Beijing in Brief Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China, is the country's political and cultural center, a hub for international communications, as well as a world-known city of historical interests. Located at Latitude 39˚56'N and Longitude 116˚20'E, Beijing's heart lies 43.71 meters above sea level. It borders the Inner Mongolia Plateau to the northwest, the North China Plain to the south and the Bohai Sea to the east. With a total area of 16,808 square km, including 1,040 square km of city proper, Beijing is embraced by mountains on the west, north and east. Main riv- ers include Yongdinghe, Chaobaihe and Beiyunhe (North Canal). Beijing has a warm temperate semi-humid climate, with four distinctive seasons-short spring and autumn and long winter and summer. The average annual temperature is 13˚C, with that in January being -3.7˚C, the coldest, and that in July 25.2˚C, the hottest. Annual precipitation averages 507.7 mm. Beijing has a time-honored history. Over 700,000 years ago, the Peking Man, a primitive caveman, roamed around the city's Zhoukoudian area. The city became the capital of the State of Yan in 1045 B.C. From 221 B.C., when Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), the first emperor of China, unified the country, to 937, Beijing had been a town of strategic importance in north China and served as the capital of several local regimes. In 938, Beijing became the secondary capital under the name of Yanjing during the reign of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) in north China. Since 1153, Beijing had served, successively, as the capital of the Jin (1115-1234), Yuan (1206-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It was designated as the capital of the People's Republic of China, just on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic on October 1, 1949.

Upload: gueste9ee55

Post on 24-May-2015

897 views

Category:

Travel


1 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A24

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

Overview of the BeijingParalympic Games

1. Beijing in Brief

Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China, is the country's

polit ical and cultural center, a hub for international

communications, as well as a world-known city of historical

interests.

Located at Latitude 39˚56'N and Longitude 116˚20'E, Beijing's

heart lies 43.71 meters above sea level. It borders the Inner

Mongolia Plateau to the northwest, the North China Plain to the

south and the Bohai Sea to the east. With a total area of 16,808

square km, including 1,040 square km of city proper, Beijing is

embraced by mountains on the west, north and east. Main riv-

ers include Yongdinghe, Chaobaihe and Beiyunhe (North Canal).

Beijing has a warm temperate semi-humid climate, with four

distinctive seasons-short spring and autumn and long winter

and summer. The average annual temperature is 13˚C, with that

in January being -3.7˚C, the coldest, and that in July 25.2˚C, the

hottest. Annual precipitation averages 507.7 mm.

Beijing has a time-honored history. Over 700,000 years ago,

the Peking Man, a primitive caveman, roamed around the city's

Zhoukoudian area.

The city became the capital of the State of Yan in 1045 B.C.

From 221 B.C., when Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty

(221-206 B.C.), the first emperor of China, unified the country,

to 937, Beijing had been a town of strategic importance in north

China and served as the capital of several local regimes. In 938,

Beijing became the secondary capital under the name of Yanjing

during the reign of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) in north China.

Since 1153, Beijing had served, successively, as the capital of

the Jin (1115-1234), Yuan (1206-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and

Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It was designated as the capital of

the People's Republic of China, just on the eve of the founding

of the People's Republic on October 1, 1949.

Page 2: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A25

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

Long-standing history has left Beijing with abundant cultural

heritages. The city teems with spots of historical interests and

scenic beauty, such as the Forbidden City, the largest imperial

palace in the world; the Temple of Heaven, a place where em-

perors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the God of

Heaven and prayed for good harvests; the royal gardens of Beihai

Park and the Summer Palace; and the Badaling, Mutianyu and

Simatai sections of the Great Wall; as well as the Mansion of

Prince Gong, the biggest residential courtyard in the world. The

city boasts 7,309 cultural relics and historical sites, 42 of which

are under state protection and 222 under the municipal

protection.

Since the 1980s, Beijing's economy has maintained rapid growth

and social undertakings have registered overall achievements,

with its living standards witnessing remarkable improvement.

Now, a modern international metropolis has taken initial shape.

As the host for the 29th Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing has

committed itself to holding a successful Olympiad and success-

ful Paralympics based on the ideas of "Green Olympics, hi-tech

Olympics and people's Olympics." In line with the Beijing Olym-

pics Action Plan, the city has been working hard in the construc-

tion of sports venues as well as transportation, energy and com-

munication facilities, and tightening the protection of environ-

ment and cultural relics, in a bid to create sound hardware con-

ditions for the Olympic games. Meanwhile, special requirements

of the Paralympics have also been taken into account, with the

aim to offer more people-friendly services.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th

Olympiad is the first institution in Olympic history that takes

charge of preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic games

concurrently. While preparatory works for the Olympic games

are in full swing, efforts for organizing the Paralympic games

have also made some progress. The organizational framework

for the games has been established, laying a solid foundation

Page 3: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A26

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

for future works; venues for the games have been designated in

line with its special requirements; and the successful launch of

the emblem for the Paralympic games has created a sound at-

mosphere for its preparation. At present, the organizing com-

mittee keeps active and close contact with the International

Paralympic Committee and all national and regional Paralympic

committees, in order to guarantee the smooth advancement of

preparatory works in all aspects in the future.

Beijing is confident that the 2008 Paralympic Games will pro-

vide all members of the Olympic family and audience around

the world with double experiences: Great Olympic sports and

an ancient but modern Eastern culture.

Page 4: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A27

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

2. Emblem of the Beijing 2008Paralympic Games

The emblem of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games was un-

veiled on July 13th, 2004, the third anniversary of Beijing’s suc-

cessful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games:

The emblem of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games is in the

shape of a person in motion. The Chinese calligraphic style is

employed to depict a human figure, a gymnast leaping forward

or spinning over a pommel horse.

Red, blue and green, the three colours of the emblem, repre-

sent the sun, the sky and the earth, which is a symbol of the

harmony between nature and humankind. The colours of the

emblem are the same as those in the logo of the International

Paralympic Committee, which reflect the integration of “Mind,

Body, Spirit” the philosophy of the Paralympic Games.

The emblem looks like the Chinese character�� (zhi), whose

shape consists of twists and turns, symbolizing a process of over-

coming difficulties before achieving a goal.

The Beijing 2008 Paralympic emblem echoes the Beijing 2008

Olympic emblem ”Chinese Seal • Dancing Beijing” in concept

and style. It conveys the messages of the Beijing Paralympics

and reflects one of the concepts of the Beijing Games ”People’s

Olympics”.

The emblem is a combination of the traditional Chinese culture

and the Paralympic spirit. It captures the dynamic and youthful

spirit of the new Beijing.

Page 5: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A28

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

3. Competition Schedule

The Beijing Paralympic Games will be held on September 5-16

in 2008. A detailed schedule will be worked out after the Inter-

national Paralympic Committee approves the events in the

games.

4. Training Facilities

The training facilities for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games will

open with the official opening of the Paralympic Village. All train-

ing venues and facilities will meet the requirements of all events.

5. Beijing's Climate in August andSeptember

In August and September, Beijing's temperature averages 24.

9˚C and 20˚C, respectively, with the average humidity standing

at 77 percent and 68 percent, and precipitation at 159.7 mm

and 45.5 mm.

Page 6: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A29

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

6. Environmental Protection

"Green Olympics" is one of the three major ideas of the 2008

Beijing Olympic Games. The BOCOG calls for members of the

Olympic family to take the lead to implement this idea, saving

resources and protecting environment in training and competi-

tion activities.

1. Selecting venues and routes up to environmental and sani-

tary standards, including those regarding air and water

quality, for training; avoiding arranging facilities and compe-

titions in environment sensitive areas; keeping away from

water source protection areas and wild animal reserves; and

paying attention to protection of cultural relics and natural

scenic sites.

2. Giving priority to sports articles and equipment made of natu-

ral and recyclable materials; ensuring manufacturing and use

these articles and equipment are free of pollution and harm-

less to people's health; and using local sports facilities as far

as possible to reduce energy consumption in the process of

transportation and distribution.

3. Making sure the training and competition activities will not

threaten local fauna and flora or pollute air, water and acous-

tical environment.

4. Saving resources to promote the adoption of a mode for sus-

tainable development. Cutting electricity consumption by giv-

ing full use of natural light, turning off lights whenever they

are out of need and reducing the use of air conditioners;

protecting water resources by economizing on and recycling

water; saving paper; making less use of throwaway and over-

packaged products; rejecting to eat wild animals; and cher-

ish grain.

5. Protecting environmental sanitation, not smoking at public

areas, not spitting and putting garbage at designated sites

instead of throwing them away randomly.

Page 7: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A30

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

6. Refusing pollutive chemicals and instead using fluoride-free

hair jelly and detergent, phosphorus-free washing powder

and ODS-free medical spray.

7. Volunteering to take an active part in afforestation and pro-

tection of wild animals, to beautify the environment and main-

tain ecological balance.

7. Transport

During the Paralympic games, Beijing's Olympiad-geared trans-

portation network will give full consideration to special require-

ments of registered athletes, coaches and Paralympic officials.

All registered personnel will be able to have access to transpor-

tation map, flight schedule and other relevant information of

their localities. They can also use local public transportation means

free of charge.

Page 8: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A31

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

8. Security

Beijing, as China's political and cultural center and hub of inter-

national communication, is one of the safest metropolises in the

world. The security departments of the Beijing Olympic Games

will do their utmost to guarantee the safety of the Paralympic

games, offer satisfactory services in related fields to all partici-

pants to the Games, and safeguard Beijing's social stability with

meticulous and well-conceived measures and first-class public

order.

9. Accommodation

In 2008, Beijing will have more than 800 star-rated hotels, with

130,000-odd guest rooms. About 500,000 guest beds will also

be available in over 4,000 hostels and training centers. All ho-

tels at three-star level of above will be able to provide a certain

number of rooms dedicated to disable persons, while all public

areas throughout the city will have barrier-free passages and

toilets tailored for disable persons. Beijing has abundant capac-

ity to accommodate all registered personnel and spectators dur-

ing the Paralympic games.

Page 9: China Beijing Olympics Overview Of The Beijing

A32

The 13th Paralympic Games The Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training GuideThe Pre-Games Training Guide China 2004-2008

10. The Paralympic Village

After the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Olympic Village will

be used as the Paralympic Village. The complex is located in one

of the most dynamic areas of Beijing, at the northern tip of the

city's central axis, adjacent to a forest Park on the north and

major Olympic venues on the south. As an important part of the

Olympic Green, it boasts a beautiful environment and conve-

nient traffic conditions.

The Beijing Municipal Government will select the proprietor of

the Olympic (Paralympic) Village through open tenders. The

proprietor will take charge of the development and construc-

tion of this project. As required by the Beijing Organizing Com-

mittee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad, it should carry out

the planning and designing of the Olympic Village and the

Paralympic Village at the same time and take special needs of

the Paralympic Village into full account so as to minimize the

conversions.

During the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, the village is expected to

accommodate 7,000 athletes and officials, including 2,000 or

so wheelchair users. When the Paralympics is over, the Paralympic

Village will be sold as housing estate.

Beijing will act in strict accordance with the International Olym-

pic Committee's Olympic Village Guidelines and draw on the

experiences of previous Olympic (Paralympic) Villages, in an ef-

fort to offer athletes and officials a convenient, safe and com-

fortable living environment and to render ideal service of high

efficiency during the games. Meanwhile, efforts will be made to

create an atmosphere featuring both the Olympic spirit and the

traditional Chinese culture. In the Beijing Paralympic Village, ath-

letes and officials from around the world are sure to be deeply

impressed with the excellent facilities and services, as well as the

hospitality of the Chinese people.