International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said he was
very impressed by what he saw during an inspection tour of the venues for the
2008 Games on Tuesday.
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
President Jacques Rogge (C) and president of the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Olympic Games Liu Qiu (L) visit the site of the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games main stadium October 24,
2006.[Reuters] |
"It is, in my opinion, one of the icons in the world," Rogge told reporters
on the construction site of the National Stadium, which will host the opening
and closing ceremonies and athletics events during the 2008 Games.
"It will leave a fantastic legacy to Beijing," he added.
Rogge was shown around the 91,000-seat stadium, known as the " Bird's Nest"
for its giant latticework structure of metal girders, and the National Acquatics
Center, dubbed the "Water Cube".
"It's even more impressive from the inside than from the outside, " he said.
Earlier, the IOC chief paid tribute to the local organizers for their
magnificent work but urged them to stay focused in the future.
"They all tell me how impressed they are with the progress that our Chinese
friends are making in developing the Beijing 2008 project," Rogge told the
plenary session of the IOC's Coordination Commission meeting, referring to the
feedback from athletes and the wider world of sport and from the IOC
coordinators.
"This progress was seen recently, as BOCOG successfully held several events
that will ultimately help the Beijing Games succeed: the 1st World Broadcasters'
Meeting, the 1st World Press Briefing, and of course, the recent sailing and
softball test events."
However, Rogge, who had served as the chief IOC coordinator for Sydney 2000
and Athens 2004, also warned against complacency.
"Despite the great progress that BOCOG has so far been able to achieve, my
experience throughout my Olympic career has been that it is extremely important
not to take your eye off the ball, because it is often in the moments when you
lose your focus that mistakes can creep in," he said.
"I would therefore encourage BOCOG and the Chinese authorities to continue
working diligently, as they currently are, towards hosting very successful
Games."
Rogge also underlined how Beijing 2008 would allow a much greater level of
understanding to be created not just between the IOC and BOCOG, but also between
China and the rest of the world.
"As we get closer to the start date of the Games of 8 August 2008, I hope
that the relationship between our two organizations will continue to grow and
strengthen, as it has during the past five years," said the Belgian.
"Indeed, these Games will allow a greater level of mutual understanding to be
created, not just between BOCOG and the IOC, but also between China and the rest
of the world, as the world starts to discover this nation with 5,000 years of
history, thanks to the exposure that the Games bring to the host city and
country."
