Beijing all set to host Olympics

With exactly one month to go before the opening of the Beijing Olympics (August 8), preparations are focussed on the last round of touch up at the Beijing Olympic Village.

Beijing July 9 : With exactly one month to go before the opening of the Beijing Olympics (August 8), preparations are focussed on the last round of touch up at the Beijing Olympic Village.

Not only the officials, but also young students of various schools and colleges are contributing as volunteers to make their century-old dream of hosting a successful Olympics come true.

On Monday, artisans were seen performing last minute make up outside the National Stadium, which is referred to as the "Bird's Nest". The opening of the Olympics will take place in this stadium as also on the outside of the National Indoor Stadium.

Yang Zhuo Fan, Information Officer of the State Council, said that everything here is close to completion and, people are working hard to get the job done on or before time. He also said that there are lots of volunteers here helping others to make this event successful.

The people here feel that this mega event would not only provide a platform for understanding China better, but also ensure that Beijing becomes the window to China, facilitating a further strengthening of relations with other parts of the world.

For Cui Bingbing, a 21-year-old college student, the Olympics will give her a chance to meet other young people of the world on a single platform. She said that it would provide an opportunity to the Chinese to show the world "about our age-old civilization and culture and customs."

Another college student, Wang li, said that he feels proud that he is working as an Olympics volunteer and for being a part of the campaign that would shape "our country into one of the best in the world."

For Li huo, the Olympic Games are like the celebration of a festival, and he feels lucky to be a volunteer to work for the nation "which would build our image in the world."

Sun Weide, the Deputy Director for Communications of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), informed that more than 90 percent of the tickets have been sold out. He proudly said that during the Athens Olympic Games, 100 million people applied for tickets, where as for the Beijing Games, " we have so far received 185 million requests for tickets till now." By Ravinder Singh Robin

ANI