Officials from Beijing 2008, General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, and China National Aviation Holding Co. jointly unveiled on September 7 the Beijing Olympic Lines – an Air China aircraft with the words Beijing 2008 painted in Chinese red. The words “One World One Dream” was also displayed at the front of the aircraft. As the designated Airline Partner of the Beijing 2008 Games Air China will provide air services for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Beijing 2008 Paralympics, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and Chinese sports delegates competing in the 2006 and 2008 Olympic Games. Air China is planning to launch aircraft displaying the Olympic mascot and other 2008 Games activities.
Broadcasters from around the world are gathering in Beijing later this month to prepare for the Games. A closed-door briefing set for September 21-23 will troubleshoot the new high-definition television standard being introduced to the Olympics broadcast, touch on ways to overcome Beijing’s smog and get help from broadcast host China Central Television and other local service providers. By the time the Games begin the 60-member staff of the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. will grow to 4,000.
The completion date for several Olympic sites has been pushed back until late 2007, although most of the facilities are expected to be completed by the end of 2006. Fourteen new venues will be constructed for the Games. According to the original plan the design and construction schedule was going to be tight, while time for testing was fairly long. By prolonging the preliminary design stage costs could be lowered, guaranteeing security, quality, function and better construction times, says the People’s Daily. Also, the design period was extended by three to six months because more time is needed.
