The 21th Summer Universiade in Beijing will be a huge success, said International University Sports Federation (FISU) president George E. Killian in Zakopane on Thursday.

"It will be a huge success," Killian told Xinhua in a press conference at Kasprowy Hotel, Zakopane. "Huge, because everybody in the world wants to go to China. It's the one country left in the world that holds some kind of attraction to everybody."

"I know you live there, but for me China is something that is so huge and so great. And that university people and everybody connected with sports would like to go to China to compete and to see your country. It's a country that has not had its door opened to everybody for that length of time and it will be fantastic," Killian added.

Killian also bet that China would win the bid for the 2008 Olympic Games.
"I think, If I went to the Casino and I was a betting man, I would bet China wins the Olympic Games," he said.

Beijing, which is among the five candidates to host the 2008 Olympic Games, will host the 21th Summer Universiade from August 22nd to September 1st.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to select the Host City for the 2008 Games from Istanbul, Osaka, Paris, Toronto and Beijing in its 112th Session on July 13 in Moscow.

(Xinhua 02/09/01)