As the host city of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing has attracted many powerful people in global sports marketing circle to attend the upcoming Ninth Fortune Global Forum scheduled to be held here from May 16 to 18.

At the forum's sideline China Sports Roundtable welcome reception here on Sunday, many attendees expressed their confidence in China's ability to stage an "excellent" Olympic Games and further integrate into sports marketing activities worldwide.

"Beijing is the gift to all the athletes at the Games," predicted Peter V. Ueberroth, president of the US Olympics Committee.

According to Rick Dudley, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Octagon Worldwide, the Games to be held in Beijing will demonstrate to the world the unique Chinese culture, people and the "exciting sports spirit."

In addition to heaping optimistic remarks on the prospects of the Beijing Olympics, the attendees also voiced their wishes for further contributing to China's sports-related business activities.

Times Warner Chairman and CEO Richard D. Parsons said a China sports roundtable meeting was specially arranged at the 2005 Fortune Forum against the backdrop of China's growing power and likely to shed some light on Beijing's Olympics preparatory works.

Mark Fisher, managing director of NBA China, deemed China as an "emerging sports power" and said his company is planning to introduce more games to China due to "the tremendous growth in the popularity of the game of basketball" in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2005)