With the Beijing Olympic Games now only 10 months away, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s Coordination Commission will visit the Chinese capital for the ninth time next week.

Headed by Hein Verbruggen, the IOC coordination commission will meet with their Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) counterparts to fully understand the state of BOCOG's preparatory work and also to review the lessons learned, so far, from the Good Luck Beijing Sports Events that have already taken place, the IOC said in a statement.

Ahead of their visit to Beijing, some members of the Commission will pay a visit to Hong Kong in order to get a first-hand view of the venues that will be used during the Beijing 2008 equestrian events.

Following on directly from the October 23-25 Coordination Commission meetings, the IOC and BOCOG, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), will hold the 7th World Conference on Sport and the Environment in Beijing.

This forum will enable an exchange of knowledge between the sporting world, NGOs and environmental specialists about the different ways that sport is looking after the environment that it affects and that it is affected by.

Under the motto "From Plan to Action", the focus of the conference will lie in translating opportunities into practical action to ensure a sustainable future.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2007)