Chinese people will not let the last-minute failure seven years ago to secure the Olympic Games dampen their hopes of hosting the 2008 event.

According to a recent survey by the Beijing-based China Mainland Marketing Research Company, the public are confident the country will win the right to hold the 2008 Games.

Survey results found that among nearly 10,000 respondents in 22 cities across China, as much as 87.4 percent said they supported Beijing's bid. In 10 cities, including Beijing and East China's Fuzhou and Hefei, that figure was well above 90 percent.

A total of nearly 86 percent of respondents said they are confident that Beijing will win the right to host the 2008 Games.

"The reasons that were quoted most frequently to back up the public's confidence included the fact that China is now a stronger nation than seven years ago and that the infrastructure in Beijing has improved," said Zhou Jiang, the company's general manager.

"Chinese athletes' outstanding performance in the Olympic Games in Sydney has also boosted the public's confidence."

Chinese athletes won 28 gold medals in Sydney last September, coming third in the medal table behind the United States and Russia.

The race to host the 2008 Olympic Games officially began on December 13 in Lausanne, Switzerland, when the five candidates -- Beijing, Istanbul, Osaka, Paris and Toronto -- made 10-minute presentations in front of the executive board of the International Olympic Committee. The winner will be decided in a vote next July in Moscow.

If Beijing succeeds, more than 87 percent of the respondents who supported the bidding said they will work as volunteers to help organize the event, according to the survey.

Many people believe that if the event is held in Beijing it will enhance China's international image, improve its economy, increase exchanges with the rest of the world and bring in more tourists.

More than 30 percent of survey respondents said they looked forward to having the chance to watch the Olympic Games in their own country. Another 30 percent said the event would help improve their lives, and 24 percent said it would increase their incomes.

(China Daily 12/21/2000)