"As the Beijing Olympics boasts many outstanding sports venues, I believe athletes around the world could achieve better scores in the better conditions," International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Chiharu Igaya applauded the Beijing Olympics preparation during a recent interview with Xinhua.

Igaya, who is also an executive board member of the Japanese Olympic Committee, praised Beijing for adopting brand-new designs and advanced technologies in Olympic facilities to create favorable sports conditions for athletes.

"Sports competition, sports culture and sports environment constitute the core of the modern Olympics, and excellent sports facilities will be an important part of a successful Olympics," Igaya added.

Since taking the post of IOC vice president in 2005, Igaya has been to Beijing for several times to inspect the preparation for the games. Igaya said he was very much impressed by the original main stadium of "Bird's Nest."

"In the systemic project of hosting the Olympics, Beijing's presentation of a series of fine architectures, including the 'Bird's Nest,' is especially praiseworthy," he said.

Igaya wished a great success to the Beijing Olympics and said he hopes the upcoming games could be inscribed in the Olympic history.

"China has overcome a series of challenges, including the recent Sichuan earthquake, during the past seven years since the bidding success, and we are grateful for China's significant efforts to prepare the games," Igaya said.

"Hopefully the Chinese people could broaden communication and deepen mutual understanding with players from around the world, and let the games leave beautiful memories for all," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2008)