13 July 2008

Beijing Olympics Memorabilia

Year 2001

July 13: IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch declares Beijing the host of the 2008 Olympic Games.

October 11: Beijing municipal government publishes "Olympic Intellectual Property Rights Protection Act."

December 13: Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad is established.

Year 2002

January: Mr. Hein Verbruggen is appointed as Chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

February 1: The Supervision Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games is founded.

February 7: The Committee of Science and Technology for the Beijing Olympic Games is founded.

July 13: The "Action Plan for the Olympics" is released. Two themes, "New Beijing" and "Great Olympics" and three concepts, namely, the Green Olympics, the High-tech Olympics and the People's Olympics, were adopted for the Beijing Olympic Games,

Year 2003

June 11: The Qingdao Sailing Committee is founded.

August 3: The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" is released.

September 1: Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Plan is launched.

December: Construction of the National Stadium begins, along with other Olympic venues.

Year 2004

May 25: Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center begins construction.

July 13: The emblem of the Beijing Paralympics, "Sky, Earth and Human Beings" is released.

August 29: Wang Qishan, Mayor of Beijing, receives the Olympic flag from Athens.

September 28: The Paralympic flag is handed over from Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to Liu Jingmin, Vice Mayor of Beijing, and Executive Vice-president of BOCOG.

Year 2005

January 6: The executive board of BOCOG is adjusted; President: Liu Qi ; First Vice-president: Chen Zhili; Executive presidents: Liu Peng, Wang Qishan, Deng Pufang.

June 26: Theme Slogan of Beijing Olympics, "One World One Dream" is released.

October 5: The Equestrian Committee (Hong Kong) is founded.

November 11: Fu Wa, the official mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, are released at Beijing Workers' Gymnasium. Each Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni – the phrase in Chinese means "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

Year 2006

April 16: Zhang Yimou is assigned as director of the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Olympic Games. Zhang Jigan and Chen Weiya are assigned as vice directors.

April 29: The competitive events to be judged at the Beijing Olympics are established. The Games in Beijing will play host to the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic program.

June 5: Beijing 2008 Paralympic Marketing Plan is launched in Beijing.

August 7: Pictograms of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are released.

August 28: Volunteer Recruitment for Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games was launched.

September 6: Paralympic mascot Fu Niu Lele is released.

October 1: Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President, pays a visit to the construction sites of Olympic venues.

Year 2007

January 19: Recruitment of Games-time volunteers outside Beijing is launched.

March 27: Medal design for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is released. The medal for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is designed with inspiration from "bi," China's ancient jade piece inscribed with a dragon pattern. The medals, made of gold and jade, symbolize nobility and virtue and embody traditional Chinese values of ethics and honor, showing strong Chinese flavor.

March 28: Recruitment of Beijing 2008 Olympic volunteers in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan is launched.

April 15: Beijing Olympic Games ticket sales start.

April 27: The Olympic torch and the planned route for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay are released.

July 17: Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and a member of the 16th CPC Central Committee, visits the construction sites of Olympic competition venues.

August 4: The theme song for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games one-year countdown celebration, "We Are Ready," is officially released.

August 8: 10,000 people are present at a ceremony in Tianan'men Square, where the IOC President, Jacques Rogge, invited the world to come and join the Beijing 2008 party. In a spectacular ceremony in front of the Forbidden City, one of China's most famous historical landmarks, the IOC President handed out invitations to the National Olympic Committees (NOC) of Greece, Canada, Great Britain, Russia and China -- the current NOCs with Olympic Games host cities on their territories and Greece, as the home of the Games - inviting them to come to Beijing to participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the other NOCs of the Olympic Movement, whose invitations were sent from the IOC's headquarters in Lausanne.

September 6: Mr. Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, announces the planned torch relay route for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

November 14: Design of the medal for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games is released.

The design of the medals for the Paralympic Games is inspired by the ancient Chinese dragon-pattern jade disc. The jade disc wedged on the obverse of the medal with the Emblem of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the center. The color of the jade varies with the medal: gold medallions are inlaid with white jade, silver with gray-white, and bronze with gray. The design of the medal hook derives from jade "huang," a ceremonial jade piece decorated in the pattern of double dragons, and "pu," the classic and elegant reed mat pattern.

The design concept and pattern of the medals for the Paralympic Games are similar to those of the medals for the Olympic Games, reflecting the fairness and mutual respect of all people. The medals for the Paralympic Games have the same value and honor as those for the Olympic Games and are the best symbols of the concept of "One World One Dream."

July to December: 26 "Good Luck Beijing" competitions are held.

According to IOC requirements and prior commitments made by Beijing, to be held prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 42 sport events are planned between July 2007 and June 2008, namely "Good Luck Beijing" Sport Events. The "Good luck Beijing" series include 14 top-level international sporting events and several integrative competitions, covering the whole range of Olympic sports.

Based on the plan for these events, thirty-nine "Good Luck Beijing" competitions are scheduled to be held in Beijing, with the rest in the co-host cities of Hong Kong (equestrian), Qingdao (sailing), Shenyang (football), and Qinhuangdao (football).

Year 2008

January 10: The operation team for the Olympic (Paralympic) Village of the Beijing Olympic Games iss formed. Du Deyin, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing People's Congress, is appointed deputy-mayor of the Olympic (Paralympic) Village and director of the operation team. Lu Hao, Vice- mayor of Beijing, is appointed as deputy mayor of the Olympic Village and first vice-director of the operation team.

January 11: Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium is open.

January 16: The planned route for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing is released.

January 20 - January 25: "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 Wheelchair Basketball International Invitational Tournament is held in Beijing.

March 24: Olympia in Greece at the Beijing Olympic Games torch ceremony acquisition, "Lucky Cloud" torch first lit the Olympic flame. Followed by a six-day pass in Greece. March 30 held in Athens torch handover ceremony.

March 31: Flame arrived in Beijing, in Beijing held a grand welcoming ceremony flame into China and the Beijing Olympic Games torch relay pass a formal ceremony. CPC General Secretary and State President and CMC Chairman Hu Sheng brazier lit in Tiananmen Square, Beijing Olympics transfer activities inside and outside officially launched.

April 1 - May 3:Beijing Olympics torch to complete offshore transmission.

April 9: The world 205 countries and regions will participate in the Beijing Olympic Games. Beijing Olympics will be a history of participating countries and regions, most of the next Olympic Games.

May 4 - Now: Olympic torch Mainland ongoing transmission.

May 8: Beijing Olympics torch in the top of Mount Transfer.

May 12: Si Chuan Earthquake.

May 18 - May 21: National mourning. The torch relay activities suspended.

May 22: Beijing Olympics torch relay activities continue, Sichuan Province Olympic torch relay activities adjusted to Beijing before the transfer of 3 to 5 August to.

June 28: Beijing Olympics Main Stadium National Stadium "Bird Nest" the official completion.

July 3: Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games required by 6000 medals have all been ready, BHP Billiton in Beijing formally transferred to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

July 8: Main Press Center, International Broadcast Centre and Beijing 2008 International Media Center officially launched.

July 13: 7 Years Celebration. 26 Days go to Beijing 2008 Olympic Games!!!

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