Last week the Chefs de Mission of 198 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), who will head their national delegations at the 2008 Olympic Games next year, met in Beijing for a preparatory seminar.

Through presentations, workshops and a venue tour, the organising committee for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), briefed the NOC representatives about various operational aspects which will be crucial for the smooth running of the games in exactly one year’s time.

Operations planning at decisive stage

“The 12 months to come will be decisive for the games preparations,” stated Liu Jingmin, Executive Vice-President of BOCOG during the opening ceremony. After years of planning it is now time to start the implementation.

The variety of subjects covered during the seminar – sports and venues, Olympic villages, transport, accreditation and sport entries, medical services and doping control, support grants and protocol and NOC services at games time – reflects the meticulous operational management needed to welcome 10,500 athletes from more than 200 NOCs at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Accordingly, the variety of the questions posed by the Chefs de Mission from all over the world shows the diverse needs of the NOCs depending on their differing size, structure, means and location.

State-of-the-art venues

BOCOG provided the NOC representatives with a tour of the spectacular venues like the National Stadium, also called the “Bird’s Nest” due to its extravagant architecture, and the National Aquatics Centre, with its eye-catching bubble design on the outside.

The participants experienced on-site what IOC President Jacques Rogge had already announced as impressive preparations and state-of-the-art venues in his opening speech.

A visit to the future Olympic Village allowed the Chefs de Mission to check out where they, their athletes and their officials will reside during next year’s Olympic Games. And all of them already gave the village an individual as well as a green touch by planting a tree for their NOC in the future residential zone.

A taste of the Opening Ceremony

A taste of what to expect at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was the one-year-to-go ceremony on Tiananmen Square on 8 August.

About 10,000 people were present when the IOC President symbolically handed out invitations to the representatives of Greece, Canada, Great Britain, Russia and China – the current NOCs with Olympic Games host cities on their territories and Greece, as the birthplace of the games – inviting them to participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The ceremony itself was a magnificent extravaganza of colours, light and sound, with musicians, acrobats, dancers and singers all combining to create a mosaic of sound and movement. With the Forbidden City as a backdrop, Chinese culture was clearly on show.

Elected Hall of Fame Members 2006

Oscar Aquilina

Oscar Aquilina was a highly sophisticated and distinguished gentleman of extraordinary charisma and high integrity with a vision which distinguished him from his peers in the field of sport administration.

He set up the Malta Sports Association and organised various disciplines among sports associations for more than 30 years. Oscar Aquilina was also the President of the Sliema Sport Association and the President of the ASA in the years 1961 and 1962, when a new bright era for this association began.

He was a remarkable personality that graced the development of a sport culture at all levels in Malta.

This award was received by his daughter, Mrs Angela Said.

Joseph Bajada

One of the pioneers of athletics in Malta, wherever there was an athletic meeting organised in Malta, Joseph would be there in the forefront promoting and fostering the development of athletics.

It is thanks to him and a handful of visionary pioneers that athletics today is one of the better structured sports in Malta and a feather in the cap of the Olympic team whenever it goes to participate in multi sports events.

Besides his active role in the administration of athletics as the MAAA President for 24 years, he also held many posts of international prestige following what was an exemplary career as an amateur athlete.

This award was received by his daughter, Mrs Jacqueline Faure.

Lolly Borg

One of the finest players that were seen in the game of football. His tactical acumen was second to none and made Floriana Ajax first and subsequently Floriana F.C. the leading sides of local football.

Borg became a legend in his own lifetime. In 1948-1949 he led the team to the League, FA Trophy and Cassar Cup Triple and four consecutive League Championships (1949-1954).

His international career included playing in Malta’s first-ever international match against Austria in 1956. An automatic choice for the National XI, he captained the team against some of the best European teams of the era.

He also played against Denmark in the Nations Cup, scoring the goal, which gave Malta its very first international victory. He was an all time great!

On retirement he dedicated himself in passing on his skill and vast knowledge of the game by coaching at various levels. A true gentleman in the real sense of the word.

Karm Borg

A highly versatile footballer, waterpolo player and a forerunner in physical education and sports development in all schools in Malta and Gozo, where he set up the Education Sports division in the Department of Education.

He was also a highly successful football coach and a national waterpolo coach of Malta.

His team’s epic performance against reigning World Football Champions England in 1971, to date remains among the best ever moments in local football history.

In 1979 he was elected MOC President, a post which he occupied for 12 years.

In all he served on the Malta Olympic Committee for 24 consecutive fruitful years.

Under his leadership, Malta attained what was a highly prestigious result in the Moscow Games in 1980 with Larry Vella’s 11th placing in shooting and in the Los Angeles Games 1984, with another prestigious ninth placing in windsurfing with Peter Bonello.

In 1997 he was awarded the IOC Trophy for his endeavour for the Development of “Sport for All” in Malta.

Michael Soler

Spanning a career over 12 years, Michael Soler was Malta’s foremost and outstanding waterpolo goalkeeper; he was also one of the best players throughout the games’ history.

During his career in waterpolo he won every honour the game had to offer. He represented Malta in major international competitions and prestigious events including among others the Mediterranean Games in Algiers, 1975 and the Mediterranean Games in Split, 1979 where he was also the Malta captain at these games.

His name was synonymous with Sliema ASC whom he captained for four years and later went on to become the club’s president. He was respected for his sportsmanship and Olympic ideals by friend and foe.

He was a member of the organising committee of the GSSE Malta 2003 and was also MOC Director of Marketing for the quadrennial 2000-2004.

Larry Vella

Larry Vella is one of Malta’s undisputed top shooter and champion of his generation in a career spanning more than 20 years.

Larry won many competitions on national level but he reached the climax of his career when he was selected to represent Malta in the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. Larry will always be remembered for his performance in Moscow where he managed three straights in a row; 75 out of 75 during the second day of the competition, to finish in 11th place. This was the best result for a Maltese shooter in Olympic Trap.

He is remembered as a role model for his peers in his lifetime and a legend through his legacy. This award was received by his brother, Edwin Vella.