NEWS FROM BEIJING 2008 PARALYMPIC GAMES

Yesterday, Liu Jian, Director of the Volunteer Department of the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG), released news on the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Volunteer Programme.

Tickets for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremony will be on sale from 10 December.

Samsung Electronics recently signed a sponsorship deal with the Chinese government to provide technical support for mobile communications during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, which will be held from 6 to 17 September 2008 in Beijing, China.

Yesterday, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) unveiled the medals for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games during a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center in Beijing, China.

Last weekend, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOOCG) celebrated the 300-day-countdown to the Paralympics next year, which will officially open on 6 September 2008.

Bonn, Germany - The 9th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission Meeting took place in Beijing, China, from 23 to 25 October.

From 10 to 12 October, the second World Press Briefing organized by the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG), took place in Beijing, China, with more than 330 media representatives (written press, photographers, news agencies) from all over the world. Representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee (VANOC) and the London 2012 Organizing Committee (London 2012) were present as well.

On 25 September, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) and Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Ltd (BOB) signed the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Broadcasting Agreements with China Central Television (CCTV) and Beijing Television (BTV). BOCOG Executive Vice-President Jiang Xiaoyu and BOB General Manager Manolo Romero were present at the signing ceremony in Beijing, China.

Bonn, Germany - From 6 to 17 September 2008, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will take place in Beijing, China. Around 3,500 media representatives are expected to cover the Games. In the course of the preparation for this unique event, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) are collaborating to ensure a successful media accreditation process.

On 18 September, following eight days of intense meetings, a Venue Operational Planning Review for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games was concluded successfully in Beijing, China. Various staff members of the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG), including BOCOG Venue Managers as well as Apostolos Rigas, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Head of Paralympic Games Strategic Projects participated in the Review.

From 5 to 7 September, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Chef de Mission Seminar took place in Beijing, China, with delegates of more than 90 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) as well as International Paralympic Committee (IPC) representatives participating.

Bonn, Germany - Today marks the one-year countdown to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. The occasion is being celebrated by a number of events in Beijing, China, attended by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven, IPC Governing Board Members Greg Hartung and Shen Zhifei as well as IPC Chief Executive Officer Xavier Gonzalez and other IPC staff members.

Yesterday, the Beijing Sports Vocational Training Center for the Disabled, a 10-hectare multifunctional complex with facilities and services for athltes with a disability, was officialy unveiled during a ceremony in Beijing, China.