An Olympic flag orbited the Earth for five days with two Chinese astronauts and was unwrapped from the returned capsule Wednesday in Beijing to show China’s commitment to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a congratulatory letter, “by taking the Olympic flag into outer space you have shown the entire world the commitment and involvement of the People’s Republic of China in the promotion of the Olympic values and ideals. We all look forward towards the successful hosting of the XXIX Olympics in 2008 in Beijing”.
Meanwhile Beijing has raised more funds for the Olympic Games than the expected goal, which has laid a “reliable and stable foundation for the success of the 2008 Olympic Games”, said Jiang Xuyu, Executive Vice President of Beijing 2008.
He said, “the budget for Beijing Olympic Games will be no higher than the Athens Olympiad’s $2.4 billion. The goal to earn $16 million can absolutely be achieved”.
