CURRENT CONCERNS

    The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) had disbanded with most of the employees either returning to the jobs they formerly held or finding new posts. Some offices remained operational to complete auditing or logistics tasks. The Venue Operation Department was one. However, the man answering the reporter's call said they had no contact with the venues any more. And he would not provide the telephone number of a venue that was not registered with the No. 114 telephone directory service.

    It was a problem that there was no longer a dedicated government body to supervise the overall post-Olympic operations, Du Wei said. The rich Beijing Olympic legacy needed be sorted out and well preserved. A shrewd investor may find in it much room for commercial operations.

    "It was a good idea to make the Olympic Central Area an Olympic theme park. But the introduction of carnival amusement facilities would be disastrous," Du Wei said, "It would distract the visitor's attention from the display of Olympic glory and squeeze the purses of Olympic venue operators."

    The establishment of an Olympic Museum was necessary and plausible, Du Wei said. It could gather and put on show various specimens of the Beijing Olympic Games and tell the stories behind them. There were so many moments and things about this Olympics that were worth being relived and remembered: the stunning feats of excellent athletes from around the world, the record number of medals China raked in, the neatly furnished China Story cabins, to name just a few.

    The government had designated cultural development as a pillar industry. Sports was understood as a major component of that culture. "We must break away from the notion that sports was just a political or educational issue and, therefore, must be administered by a government institution. As an industry, sports should be managed in a commercial way," said Du Wei, who had been closely involved in the introduction of China's first sports lottery and Beijing's two-time applications for hosting the Olympics.

    "It was an innovative move to allow private companies to invest in Olympic venues and entrust specialized teams to engage in commercial operations," Du Wei said, "China is a big market. The potentials of this country's sports industry is immeasurable."

    China's sports market is government-directed. "This has its merit in that it ensured steady progress exemplified in the test development of professional football. Yet, to enable a smooth and healthy development, we must separate the sports industry from sports a social course, and reduce administrative interference in the sports market," Du Wei said.

    "The time leading to the London Olympics in 2012 is an opportunity. If we can seize it and do a good job in promoting the Beijing Olympic legacy, we may achieve yet another Olympic miracle," said Du Wei.

    Although Beijing tried hard to learn the lessons of Olympic predecessors, there was no successful experience that could readily be copied. "We need to try all means and blaze a new path of addressing the tough issue of post-Olympic venue use. If we do well, I'm very optimistic that investors' money will be recovered in the following 30 or 20 years," Du Wei said.

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