The roles education and culture
have played in the Olympic Movement were highlighted by senior officials from
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday in Beijing at the opening
ceremony of the Fifth World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture.
Chinese Olympic champions Chen Zhong
(left) and Luo Wei help IOC President Jacques Rogge don a doctoral gown at
a ceremony held in Beijing yesterday. Rogge was awarded an honorary
doctoral degree by the Beijing Sport University due to his "active
contribution to the world's Olympics undertakings."
[Xinhua]
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Entitled "Sport and a World of Harmony: the Role of Olympic Education and
Culture," this year's forum, which runs from yesterday to Tuesday, is organized
by the IOC and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX
Olympiad (BOCOG) in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
More than 650 experts, academics, government officials and related
personalities from over 150 countries and regions were attracted by the forum,
gathering to exchange views and hold discussions on the development of world
sports, education and culture in the new century.
"As you all know, education and culture are the roots of the Olympic
Movement," said Jacques Rogge, president of IOC, at the opening ceremony. "The
Olympic Charter states clearly that the goal of the Olympic Movement is to
contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through
sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values."
He also acknowledged the efforts of the IOC Commission for Culture and
Olympic Education, which is under the direction of Chinese IOC member He
Zhenliang.
"I was particularly pleased to see that this effort is being continued right
now in China and millions of young Chinese, both children and teenagers, are
being introduced to the strength and power of the Olympic values such as
friendship, excellence and respect," said Rogge.
"In conjunction with BOCOG, the IOC intends to make the Beijing Olympics a
celebration of harmony and peace, education and culture and above all sporting
perfection."
In the preparatory work for the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing organizers have
attached great importance to spreading the spirit of the movement to the youth
of the world's most populous country.
To date, China has named a total of 556 elementary and secondary schools
across the country as "Olympic Education Model Schools" to promote Olympic
education among its 400 million youngsters.
"Through the staging of the Olympic Games, we are willing to further
reinforce the exchange with international friends and accelerate the development
of China and Beijing to leave a precious legacy to China and world sports," said
BOCOG President Liu Qi.
"The implementation of the three concepts of the Beijing Games 'Green
Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People's Olympics' is to promote social and
world harmony."
Following the forum, the seventh plenary session of the IOC Co-ordination
Commission will be held in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday. The commission will
hear presentations from BOCOG departments on the preparatory progress and
discuss with BOCOG a wide rage of subjects, including media operation, the
Olympic village, the Paralympic Games and the competition schedule.
