Beijing to hold seven cultural activities for the Olympics

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games proclaimed on March 23 that seven important cultural activities will be organized this year for the 2004 Athens Games, including the relay of Athens Olympic torch in Beijing, art performances planned for the closing ceremony of the Games, and the collecting of mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, etc.
At the press conference held on the morning of March 23, the Committee specified the seven scheduled cultural activities as follows:
1. On the morning of June 8, the Athens Olympic torch will arrive at Beijing from South Korea, with a Torch Relay of 45 to 65 kilometers by 120 torchbearers. A grand evening party will be organized that night. After related Torch activities in Beijing's famous cultural sites on June 9, the Torch will leave for Cairo, the capital of Egypt, the next morning.
2. At the closing ceremony of the Athens Games on August 29, the mayor of Beijing will receive the Olympic flag from the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). At the same time, Beijing will hold a grand performing ceremony of about 10 minutes.
3. The Second Olympic Art Festival of "2008 Beijing" will be held on June 23-July 13, with the theme of "Sports: Bridge of Exchange and Friendship Between the East and the West".
4. Collecting of mascots for the 2008 Beijing Games by the Committee will kick off in the first half of the year.
5. The work of collecting mascots for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will start this month, and the selected ones are supposed to be unveiled at the closing ceremony of the Athens Paralympic Games on September 28.
6. A Countdown Timer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be set up on the Tian'anmen Square on September 1, with a grand kickoff ceremony. Later, Countdown Timers will be erected at the Great Wall, Wangfujing Commercial Street, and the Capital Airport, etc., in succession.
7. The collecting of mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will kick off in the first half of this year, and the selected songs will make known to the public at the end of this year.
Besides, during the Athens Games the Beijing Organizing Committee will dispatch a 200-people delegation to Athens for view and emulate, and hold various cultural activities in Athens at the same time.