No corruption has been found anywhere along the line in Beijing's preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games, a senior supervision official with the organizing committee said yesterday.

The committee also has not received any complaints of corruption from the public, Gu Yueren, director of Supervision and Audit for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), said yesterday. Hotlines and e-mail contacts are available to the public to report corruption during Olympic preparations.

Gu spoke with China Daily at the Second Consultation of the Public Integrity Education Network (PIEN), which began on Sunday.

PIEN is a joint initiative between TIRI (The Government-Access-Learning-Network; a London based NGO) and the Center for Policy Studies at Central European University. It was launched in 2004 with the aim of facilitating the development of effective, policy-oriented training and teaching programs on corruption control and organizational integrity. The first PIEN Consultation took place last August in Hungary. The second consultation was held in Beijing from June 5 to 7. The meeting was hosted by the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, a new PIEN member and partner in developing the TIRI Network in China.

Twenty-six experts from 18 countries and regions took part in the consultation that ends today.

Tan Tay Keong from the Singapore International Foundation said yesterday that Olympic corruption has to do not only with money, but is also a political issue related to China's national image.

Gu agreed, adding that Beijing Olympic organizers continue to face the risk of corruption because the sums involved in the preparations are so large.

"Preparation for the Games was a test of the use of proactive prevention methods to avoid any corruption," he said.

The system for corruption prevention established by Beijing Olympic organizers has so far proved effective, Gu said.

He said the organizing committee would ensure the equality and transparency of the Games and accept supervision by the public.

Overseeing staff work, financial management, purchasing, marketing and venue construction were strengthened through supervision and auditing, the official said.

Auditing has been carried out twice a year since the start of the project. From 2006 until the Games begin, auditing will be held four times a year.

BOCOG officials were forbidden from taking part in negotiations between BOCOG and prospective partner companies they had previously worked for.

A Norwegian delegate at the consultation, Fredrik Galtung, said yesterday that it is necessary to learn supervision skills from the two most recent Olympic events in Athens and Sydney.

Gu agreed but added that since BOCOG is the first Olympic organizing committee ever to establish its own special supervisory department, it has not been able to find a reference partner from previous Games to communicate with.

"We cooperated with Tsinghua University to research supervision methods in previous Games," Gu said.

The Games officially start on August 8, 2008.

(China Daily June 7, 2005)