"We didn't come here to solve problems. We didn't come to give
direct answers to questions," said Marton Simitsek, executive
director and chief operating officer of the Athens 2004 Organizing
Committee (ATHOC), at a Wednesday press conference at the end of
the four-day Athens Games debriefing in Beijing.
Simitsek added that the Athens team of experts arriving in
Beijing on Sunday came to share their experience in hosting
the Olympics. Beijing should assimilate that knowledge and
formulate its own distinctive plans for the 2008 Games.
The debriefing team and Beijing counterparts focused on such
issues as the Olympic logo and its applications, utilization of
core resources, planning and progress of venue construction, and
the scheduling and competitions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
themselves.
Gilbert Felli, Olympic Games executive director, said the host city
should "have a strong and great vision, make plan after plan, start
early and finish early and mind the teamwork inside the organizing
committee, the city and the country."
Liu Jingmin, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG),
spoke highly of the Athens Games debriefing, a component of the
transfer of knowledge program initiated by the International
Olympic Committee in 2000.
"I can say that all the experiences of the Athens Games are
conducive to our work," said Liu, also deputy mayor of the Chinese
capital. "Of course, we will try to adapt these experiences in our
own work."
The operation of venues and recruitment of volunteers for the
Athens Games were singled out for discussion, as were special
ceremonies and events peripheral to the Games.
"As all of the world had seen, they also did a good job in
cultural events like the opening and closing ceremonies," said Liu.
The ceremonies won wide acclaim for showcasing the essence of the
brilliant culture and history of Greece.
Simitsek expressed optimism about the 2008 Olympics.
"You have a great tradition in sport and your athletes at the
Olympic Games in Athens did very great things. We believe that with
these athletes, you will fill the venues with passion and
spectators."
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily November 4, 2004)