Special report: 2008 Olympic Games
By Wu Liming
BERLIN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Dertour Travel Agency has recently become more busy with calls of inquiry. The reason is quite simple: the Frankfurt-based company, which has exclusive rights to sell Beijing Olympic tickets in Germany, has been flooded with inquiries from ticket holders about trips to Beijing.
"The tickets were sold out some three or four years ago," a spokeswoman for Dertour told Xinhua, adding they have set a new record in sales of Olympic tickets in Germany.
As the Beijing Olympic Games draws near, many in Germany and German agencies are feeling the pulse of the coming quadrennial sports gathering although it is to take place thousands of kilometers away from the European country.
In sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle in Dertour, the headquarters of the German Olympic Committee (DOSB) in Frankfurt has become almost empty as most of its staff have left for China.
"Members of the German team have been taking flights from Frankfurt to China every day since last week," said a lady at the DOSB reception.
The German women soccer team left for Shenyang in north China on July 30 where they will play Brazil at the first group match on Aug. 6, two days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which runs through 24.
The official website of the German Soccer Association has put the picture of two German players at its front page, showing that they were "seriously" reading a local newspaper.
The two girls obviously do not know the Chinese language, but they were still "reading" the reports upon their arrival, with smiles on their faces.
Timor Boll, table tennis winner of the European championship vowed to seize at least one medal in Beijing at a press conference on July 31 before he headed for China.
"Table tennis is the NO. 1 sport in China. It will be an unforgettable experience to play table tennis at the Beijing Games," Boll said.
Recently, a lot of German basketball fans were excited about the news that German basketball team, headed by NAB star Dirk Nowitzki, secured the last ticket to the Beijing games.
Although it is difficult for them to pronounce the name of Chinese NBA star Yi Jianlian, some of them still enjoy debating whether the Chinese team, led by another NBA star Yao Ming, could overwhelm Germany at the group match.
Of course, most of them believe the German team would get the upper hand as Nowitzki has got a new powerful helper -- Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Kamen who got his German citizenship last month.
In the German Olympic Team, which consists of 440 athletes, Norwitzki possibly enjoys the highest popularity in both Germany and China, and recently some German fans have launched a campaign to collect signatures on the Internet, calling for the appointment of Norwitzki as the German Team's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
"I would be honored," responded the 211-cm star player.
For German media, the upcoming event in Beijing means they have to face incredibly fierce competition for Olympic news.
As early as in February this year, a reporter from Berliner Zeitung sought advice on renting apartments in Beijing.
One month later, he arrived in Beijing and has been reporting about life in the Chinese capital as well as China's preparations for the Games.
Living in a completely different culture, the German journalist was amazed by the hospitality of Beijingers who invited him to wedding ceremonies and dinners.
As the Olymic Games approaches, it has became an increasingly hot topic in the German press. Deutsche Welle has even launched a new column publishing journalists' blogs on the Games.
"Beijing, I'm coming!" wrote a journalist before he left for China last week.
And for some researchers, the Games meant a subject of study. Sebastian Bersick, a researcher at the German Institute for International Politics and Security, has launched a research project on the influence of the Olympic Games on China's development.
