MOC Secretary General, Mr Joseph Cassar attended the Chefs de Mission meeting in Beijing which was held between 6 and 9 August at the China World Hotel in Beijing.

The meeting opened with a series of official speeches from Government and BOCOG high officials as well as the IOC President, Dr Jacques Rogge.

Although much work has already been done, one notes that there is still a lot to be carried out in the next 12 months. Dr Rogge once again emphasised the IOC intention to curb doping in sports and announced that for the Beijing Games, there will be 4,500 tests including 500 full scale testing for EPO abuse, which is more than double the amount held in Athens. He also commented on the worries and concerns about air quality which has to be improved considerably by 2008.

For the Beijing Olympic Games there will be 12 newly built venues, many others renovated and expanded to accommodate the 28 sports, 38 disciplines, 302 events, 18 competition dates, 623 sessions. The venues will be in four cluster areas. Minor changes in the competition schedule are still possible.

Games time training will start from 28 July 2008 until the end of competitions of respective sport.

For the IOC and the Organising Committee the Opening Ceremony is considered as 50 per cent of the success of the Games and it is expected that this ceremony will be highly spectacular. The great majority of the NOCs have complained about the tickets allocation and were ascertained that ANOC and BOCOG are considering these complaints.

The Olympic Village will open officially on 27 July till 24 August next year. This will comprise three super residential centres and another residential centre.

During his visit, Mr Cassar also enquired about the possibilities of sending some of our prospective athletes to train in Beijing prior to the Games as well as the possibility of setting up a Malta Team Meeting Place in Beijing which could also serve as publicity for Malta.

Mr Cassar was also invited to plant a tree at the Olympic Friendship Forest which is near the Olympic Village.

He also attended the one year countdown ceremony spectacularly held in Tiananmen Square for the Beijing Olympic Games which will start on 8 August 2008.