photo credit: IOC

   (December 30, 2005) -- IOC president Jacques Rogge said he was impressed by Beijing's dedication to making sure the 2008 Olympiad is hosted in the best possible way.

   "I have been constantly impressed by the dedication towards making sure Beijing 2008 is hosted in the best possible way for athletes, media, spectators and all the others who are part of the Games. I look forward to the day when the world will be able to see the fruits of that hard work," he said in a recent interview with IOC official website, Olympic.org.

   He said when he visited China, he was able to see for himself how quickly the country is changing. "Already, since Beijing was elected host city in 2001, there have been great moves forward. And there are still almost 1000 days to go before the Games begin there."

   Talking about what stood out most in the first four years of his mandate as the head of the IOC, Rogge said: "Managing the Games and their future has been one of our priorities. I am pleased to see that the mechanisms put in place to ensure the quality of their organization are working. I am thinking specifically of the recommendations of the Olympic Games Study Commission which contributed to a better control of the cost and complexity of the Games, the transfer of knowledge that allows candidate and host cities to benefit from the experience of their predecessors, and the systematic review of the Olympic program. Furthermore measures have been taken to improve the judging system in some sports.

   "In parallel, the IOC has continued to strive for more transparency: internal and external audits have been conducted resulting in a better structured administration; rules concerning conflicts of interest have been enacted and proven to be useful in several instances; the principle of zero tolerance has been systematically applied when faced with unethical behaviors -- members and other individuals who tarnished the reputation of the organization have been expelled or sanctioned, athletes who did not respect the anti-doping rules have been disqualified or excluded from the Games. All these actions aim to protect the IOC and the values that we want to promote."

   Rogge said the 117th Session in Singapore was indeed a key meeting for the IOC. London was elected host city of the 2012 Olympic Games. London demonstrated the ability to host excellent Games allied with an exceptionally strong vision of how sport can inspire the youth of tomorrow. We are looking forward to working with LOCOG over the next seven years.

   In Singapore, the IOC, for the first time in almost 70 years, voted to change the Olympic program. This clearly shows our determination to retain sports that are relevant and inspirational for the youth of today and tomorrow. It also proves that the systematic review of the program is a useful exercise that we should and will pursue in the future, Rogge added.

For further info., please visit http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=1592.