Beijing Olympic Games

Updated：2008-02-27

Students are playing games with guests from Jamaica.

(BEIJING, Feb. 27) — On February 25, an Olympic-themed term-opening ceremony was held at Beijing Fengtai No.1 Primary School.

Wayne McCook, Ambassador of Jamaica to the People’s Republic of China, and Jamaica athletics coach Donald Quarrie took part in the activity.

As an old friend of Fengtai No.1 Primary School, Ambassador Wayne McCook paid his second visit since the last one on September 1, 2007. Donald Quarrie, a sports star, accompanied him.

Donald Quarrie won a gold medal in the men’s 200m and a silver medal in the men’s 100m in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. A hero in Jamaica, Donald Quarrie was warmly welcomed by the students and teachers of Fengtai No.1 Primary School. Many young athletes in the school invited Mr. Quarrie to teach them running skills, and Donald Quarrie enjoyed his new job as a teacher.

During the term-opening ceremony, five Olympic families participated and showed their achievements related to the Olympics, including Olympic culture, sports, and environmental protection during the winter holiday.

In the winter holiday, there were 2,700 families of Fengtai No.1 Primary School that participated in Olympic-themed activities, and each family felt it was helpful, not only physically, but also mentally. The Olympic culture is already rooted in their minds.

Updated：2008-01-12

A workshop in progress

(BEIJING, January 12)– Up to 100 managers of the venue personnel, volunteer and spectator services attended a two-day workshop held by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) from January 10 to 11, 2008.

The workshop, featuring thematic reports and sub-group discussions, provided the participants with a good opportunity to exchange experiences and enhance cooperation.

Li Binghua (center) attends a summing-up meeting.

Director Liu Jian of BOCOG’s Volunteers’ Department, Director Xin Tieliang of BOCOG’s Human Resources Department, Director Lu Yong of BOCOG’s Venue Management Department and Visiting Professor Guo Chi of the National School of Administration delivered their thematic reports. BOCOG Executive Vice-President Li Binghua addressed a summing-up meeting.

Volunteer managers of various venues discuss their work.
Venue staff managers in discussion
A trainee speaks of his experience.

Updated：2008-01-22

Jiang Xiaoyu in a group photo with representatives of districts and counties of Beijing after awarding them with Olympic mascots

(BEIJING, January 22)– The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) called for the shift of the Olympic education program from an exchange between Chinese schools and their foreign counterparts to the Games-time mode of an exchange between the Chinese schools and Olympic delegations.

BOCOG made the call on Monday, with the Beijing Olympics just 200 days away.

As components of the Games-time mode, teachers and students will enter the competition venues as well as the Olympic Village, and invite foreign delegations to tour their respective schools, according to Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice-president of BOCOG.

Using specially priced Olympic tickets, students of certain primary and middle schools across China will gather in Beijing to experience the Olympic joy. At the same time, students of Olympic education model schools in Beijing will go to the venues to cheer for the athletes from the countries whose schools are partners of the program. The Chinese schools will also take part in the welcome (flag-raising) ceremonies at the Olympic Village from July 27 to August 7. The Olympic Games will open on August 8, 2008.

Playing host to athletes from around the world, more than 200 Beijing schools will become quasi-Olympic venues,” Jiang told a meeting on Monday. “The schools need to prepare well and make the guests feel at home,” he added.

In a drive to promote Olympic education, 556 schools in China, including 200 in Beijing, have been named Olympic Education Model Schools. The Beijing schools have established partnerships with the Olympic committees of 205 countries and regions (NOCs) and conducted cultural, sports and educational exchanges with the partners schools recommended by the NOCs.

Updated：2008-01-03

John Stephen Akhwari takes photo with Chinese students.

(BEIJING, Jan. 3) — As a part of Heart-to-Heart Partnership program, John Stephen Akhwari, hero of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and Helen L. Brahim, minister plenipotentiary from the Tanzanian Embassy, visited Beijing Guanyuan Primary School in Tongzhou District on Wednesday morning.

Forty years ago, Akhwari represented Tanzania in the marathon of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Although he injured his leg, he persisted till the last moment of the marathon, and this act won him the respect of the world. At that event, he said that he was 7,000 miles from his country. He came here, not just to listen to the sound of the starting gun, but to finish the race. His words inspired countless people.

During the activity, students watched the documentary of Akhwari in the marathon of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and were deeply moved by his perseverance. Akhwari encouraged the students to be strong-minded, just like him. With this Tanzanian guest, student also learned about marathon skills. As a father of eight children, Akhwari was very happy with the Chinese students.

During the activity, Akhwari said that he enjoyed his visit at Beijing Guanyuan Primary School and wished to tell his family and friends in Tanzania about his experience in Beijing.

John Stephen Akhwari wears red scarf.
John Stephen Akhwari teaches marathon.
Portraits of John Stephen Akhwari are given by Chinese students.
John Stephen Akhwari gives performance.

Updated：2007-12-26

12

(BEIJING, December 26) — When Beijing won the right to stage the 29th Olympiad, BOCOG promised to launch an Olympic education program among the 400 million primary and secondary school students in China.

That came true at the end of 2006, when 556 schools across the country were listed as model schools for Olympic education. With the “Heart-to-Heart” program, over 200 schools were linked to their partners all over the world.

With an Olympic focus added to their curriculums, teachers and students found their school life more interesting. At Beijing Yangfangdian Central Primary school, a teacher gave out a unique extra-curricular homework assignment: count the gold medals that China grabbed in the Athens Olympic Games and figure out that percentage in the total number of gold medals awarded during those Olympics. That’s not such a difficult question, but the assigning teacher needed to rack her brains before drafting her lesson plan.

To make a cup of muddy water clean is easy for Beijing Dongzhimen Middle School students. They used simple tools to filter the water. The experience gave the pupils food for thought: why not filter the used water at home and reuse it to save running water?

Such practice takes place almost daily in 200 model schools in China’s capital city. A curricular system incorporating the Olympic content has been formed.

As part of their Olympic education requirement, Beijing’s model schools have engaged in partnerships with schools recommended by the IOC affiliated Olympic Committees of 205 countries and regions in the world. So far 130 Chinese schools have found their counterparts, accounting for 62.2 percent of the total.

The program encourages the schools to conduct student-to-student communication and carry out a series of bilateral activities. In August, the host schools will greet their partner NOC athletic delegation at the Team Welcome Ceremony at the Olympic Village and support athletes at the competition sessions. Additionally, the corresponding delegation will also be invited to visit their partner schools in Beijing.

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Updated：2007-12-04

Scene at Beijing Guangqumen High School

(BEIJING, December 4) –The Ministry of Education and BOCOG co-sponsored an activity to showcase the achievements of Olympic education Tuesday afternoon at Beijing Guangqumen High School.

The sponsors took the opportunity to present the achievements of the various stages of the Olympic education program and talked about the latest achievements. Various schools around Beijing presented their achievements in Olympic education.

Elective physical education class

In December 2005, the Ministry of Education and BOCOG jointed launched the 2008 Beijing Olympic Educational Program. The program aims to spread Olympic knowledge and to promote the Beijing Olympic concepts, goals, and preparations among the students, with a further goal of deepening the students’ understanding of the Olympic Movement and to involve them into the preparatory work.

China has named a total of 556 elementary and secondary schools across the country as “Olympic Education Model Schools” to promote Olympic education among 400 million youngsters.

A vast array of Olympic products

In December 2006, BOCOG and the Ministry of Education of China jointly designed and launched the Heart-to-Heart Partnership program. The Heart-to-Heart program is part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Educational Program.

More than 200 primary and secondary schools in Beijing are being partnered with schools and athletes within a specific country represented by a National Olympic Committee. By “adopting” a sister school in a specific country, the Chinese students share ideas and experiences with their new friends across the globe.

Let’s juggle the diabolo together

During the activity at Beijing Guangqumen High School, Shao Shiwei, deputy director of BOCOG’s Media and Communications Department, told reporters that the next step involves accomplishing three major goals. The first goal is to expand Olympic education on a large scale. The second goal is to strengthen Games-time educational training. The third goal is to further summarize the achievements of Olympic education and to make those results long lasting.

Updated：2007-12-16

Group photo

(BEIJING, Dec. 16) — On December 14, a Serbian Olympic delegation visited Beijing Weiguo Middle School. During this visit, a language middle school in Belgrade became partner schools with Weiguo Middle School.

At the welcome ceremony, the Serbian guests introduced the language school, where there are many students learning Chinese. They are eager to communicate with Chinese students. The visitors brought with them some letters written by the Serbian students and gifts, including a Serbian athletes’ uniform and newspaper in Serbian.

A short video program about different activities held in Weiguo Middle School with a Serbian culture theme was shown, receiving warm applause from the guests.

Guests are taking photos with Fuwa.
Gift from students
Gift from Weiguo Middle School