A website aimed at boosting the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games' high-tech goals was launched yesterday in Beijing.

The website, www.hitech2008.org.cn, is sponsored by the Science and Technology Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and the Olympic Science and Technology (2008) Action Plan Leading Group.

The website, in both Chinese and English, gives an overall introduction of one of the three themes of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - high-tech Olympics - and the action plan to achieve the goal implied in the theme.

The website will also provide timely reports on high-tech Olympic developments.

"It is a must to establish a platform for the exchange of information for holding high-tech Olympics in 2008 in Beijing," Lin Wenyi, chairwoman of the Science and Technology Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, said yesterday.

Lin is also vice-director of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress.

Established in 2002, the committee has 13 member organs including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Beijing municipal government, the Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Deng Nan, vice-chairwoman of the committee and vice-minister of science and technology, urged all relevant departments to use the website to put forth scientific achievements that may help the games.

Technology consultation services are also expected to be provided to the Olympics to guarantee its smooth operation.

Deng also urged more communication between the committee and the Olympic organizing committee.

Initiated by Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua and the then Beijing Mayor Liu Qi, the Olympic Science and Technology (2008) Action Plan was released in 2001.

The plan involves projects in environment, safety, communications, information exchange, sports technology and science knowledge popularization.

(China Daily September 21, 2004)