Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    SHENYANG, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Police in the Olympic football co-host city of Shenyang, northeast China, have been boning up on religions in a bid to understand foreigners and avoid insulting their feelings during the Games.

    More than 5,000 police officers have learnt the origins, forms, taboos, and classic works of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism in class since the municipal public security bureau launched the campaign in March.

    Besides theories and China's religious laws and policies, they also practiced etiquette and ways to solve emergency situations concerning religion affairs, said Yang Tao, training teacher.

    "They enjoy the arrangement, saying the content was interesting and helpful," said Yang, professor with China Criminal Police University based in Shenyang.

    "Such training could help them to better understand foreigners, make them feel confident in communications and effectively deal with emergencies while showing respect to foreigner's religious customs," he explained.

    Religion was just a part of a comprehensive Olympic training scheme the bureau initiated since January.

    More than 120 short-term courses on 19 subjects such as security check, foreign affairs management, oral English, media, anti-terror, and psychology, have attracted 7,000 participants over the past half year, according to Liu Xiujuan with the bureau's education and training department.

    Experts, experienced police officers from Shenyang and Beijing were invited to give lectures.

    "More than 10,000 policemen have received media training on English and techniques to communicate with reporters, and emotion control," said Liu Kejun, chief of the bureau's publicity department.

    "China has pledged to aid the foreign media's coverage of the Olympics, and we must work better to create a favorable environment for reporters," said Liu.