Beijing Olympics preparations going well

Preparations for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympics are on track. The vice executive director for the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee gave the progress report Wednesday on the sidelines of the ongoing CPPCC session.

Reviewing the preparation efforts in the past six years, Liu Jingmin, also vice mayor of Beijing, said plans were progressing on all fronts. 36 out of the 37 competition venues have now been completed. The ongoing project for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies, the National Stadium, also known as the Birds' Nest, is scheduled to be finished in April. The Committee has been running test events called "Good Luck Beijing" -- at this point, most of those have been completed with good results.

Liu Jingmin, vice mayor of Beijing, said, "Besides these, the environment and transportation have improved a lot. These two aspects are the major issues of the preparation work. Plans have been made to promote the air quality and it kept improving in Beijing for the past 9 years."

Anti-doping is among the top concerns of the 2008 Olympic Games. The government's stance on doping is clear.

Cu Dalin, deputy director of State General Admin. of Sport, said, "The Chinese government has always been against using drugs in the sports games. China has carried out rules and laws in anti-doping. And in the athletes' training for the 2008 Olympic Games, we have made clear it's a serious issue."

Former table tennis champion Deng Yaping is in charge of the construction Olympic Village. She said every detail of the building follows IOC guidelines, so this Olympic Village will be very similar to previous ones. But there will still be some unique Chinese touches.

Deng Yaping, vice director of BOCOG Olympic Villag, said, "We are planning and selecting cultural activities in the village. We want the overseas athletes get an impression about China's culture, as long as the activities don't disturb their competition."

The CPPCC members promised China will deliver a special and memorable Olympics to the world.