Did you know…?

Beijing/China

• China planted 5.23 million hectares of trees in 2006, as part of a co-ordinated approach to improving the environment in time for the Games
• The Beijing municipal government made the brave decision to move all factories away from the city before 2008 to improve the environment for people in the run-up to and beyond the Games
• The average temperature in Beijing in August is 77° F
• Following a rapid construction programme in Beijing, all building work will cease at the end of 2007, thereby eliminating the construction dust which is sometimes mistaken for pollution
• China goes to great lengths to protect the giant panda, which is regarded as a national treasure
• China is spending an estimated $40bn on a pre-Olympic makeover for Beijing, including new highways, an extended underground railway system and a new airport terminal, as well as the sports facilities
• The National Stadium, which will host the Opening Ceremony, has been dubbed the “Bird’s Nest” owing to the 42,000 tonnes of twisted steel that hang free over the arena
• Beijing 2008 organisers expect that, among the local Chinese population, the buyers of tickets for some hot events will have to be decided by random draw
• The 17,000-seat National Aquatics Centre, which will host the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and waterpolo events, has been dubbed the "Water Cube” owing to its innovative and symmetrical design
• The motto of Beijing 2008 is "One World, One Dream”, symbolising the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures under one banner in a city eager to reach out to the world
• A small shanty town, located within Beijing’s second ring road and known as the Village in the City, has been completely transformed and now boasts a beautiful park over a mile long for families to congregate
• The cobbles within the Forbidden City are 15 layers deep, as emperors made sure that would-be assassins could not tunnel their way inside!
• Hainan, a popular Chinese beach resort island in the South China Sea, is dubbed “Hawaii of the East” and hosted the Miss World contest in 2003
• The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest man-made structures on earth and runs for 6,700 kilometres, or 4,173 miles
• China is implementing a vast project to modernise its rail system, with an estimated investment cost of $200 billion
• The Chinese are very entrepreneurial people and, over the ages, are responsible for many widely used inventions, including paper, printing, gunpowder and the compass
• A rotating cycle of twelve animal signs is used as a traditional folk method for naming the years in China. The animal signs follow an established order, and are repeated every twelve years – 2008 is the Year of the Rat

Sportsworld

• Beijing will be the 12th consecutive Olympic Games at which Sportsworld has operated travel programmes
• Sportsworld is appointed as the official ticket and tour agent for Beijing 2008 by 17 different National Olympic Committees across the world
• Sportsworld is the exclusive ticket and tour agent in Great Britain for Beijing 2008, officially appointed by the British Olympic Association
• Sportsworld is offering 104 different packages so that guests can enjoy the Beijing Olympics according to their preferred dates, duration and budget
• Sportsworld has put together over 50 different sightseeing tours for guests to discover Beijing and other regional highlights

Olympics

• There are five official Beijing 2008 mascots (or ‘fuwa’)… Beibei, a fish; Jingjing, a panda; Huanhuan, the Olympic flame; Yingying, a Tibetan antelope; and Nini, a swallow. When you put their names together – Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni – they say "Welcome to Beijing"
• Almost 100,000 police and security staff have undergone high-speed pursuit training so that they are able to drive through crowds to protect athletes and tourists alike
• More than 210,000 volunteers registered to work on the support staff for the Beijing Games
• Around 20,000 members of the press and international broadcasters are expected in China to cover the 29th Olympic Games
• The Beijing Olympics offer 1,345 different ticket prices across 28 sports and 613 event sessions
• 10,500 athletes from over 200 nations are expected to compete in the Games of the 29th Olympiad
• Hong Kong is playing host to the three Olympic equestrian disciplines: dressage, eventing and showjumping
• The 2008 Olympic sailing and windsurfing events are taking place in Qingdao (a one hour flight south of Beijing) where spectators will follow the action from a dedicated purpose-built gallery
• The modern Olympic Games were founded in 1894 when Pierre Fredi, Baron de Coubertin sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition
• London will hold the 2012 Summer Olympics, making it the only city to host the Games three times