BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) issued the official posters and pictures for the forthcoming summer Games and the Paralympic Games here on Friday.

    The formal publication of the 16 posters for the Olympic Games and 16 for the Paralympics will start on Sunday, with each values at 10 yuan (about 1.47 U.S. dollars).

    Featured in the three categories - theme, humanity and sports -the posters are also themed at "One World, One Dream", same as that of the Olympic Games.

    According to Zhao Yanqiu, deputy director of BOCOG Culture and Ceremonies Department, many Chinese elements, such as the traditional Chinese painting, are creatively integrated into the design of the posters, which is a strong stroke of the unique Chinese culture and demonstration of Chinese people's passion for the Games.

    "The history of the poster, in a sense, reflects the history of the Games," Zhao said.

    The BOCOG launched a public brainstorm campaign for the design of the posters on May 23, and received 930 pieces of creative design a month later.

    The 45 official pictures were also issued on the same occasion.

Special report: 2008 Olympic Games