Beijing has claimed a marked drop in crime so far this year with police saying the fall sets a solid foundation for a safe Olympic Games.

In the first 10 months of 2007, Beijing police detained over 43,000 criminal suspects, an increase of 12% on the same period last year. The report said new crime cases fell by 2.7% over the same period, but did not give details.

Beijing crime detection officer Li Yuejie said, ‘The improved public security is a good foundation and necessary prelude for next year’s Olympics.’

Although much of China is relatively lightly covered by police, the capital is well supplied, especially at sensitive events such as Communist Party meetings.

Security will be even tighter during next year’s Olympic Games.

Beijing’s police chief said in September that some 80,000 guards including police officers and state-approved volunteers, would help security service forces at the Olympics.

Punch Gunalan, first vice-president of Badminton World Federation (BWF), has given high marks to an Olympic badminton test event and praised China for making badminton a more popular sport.

The International Badminton Tournament held in October at Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, was among a series of test events for Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Punch Gunalan said, ‘It’s nearly perfect and the best venue I have ever seen, all the venues for the previous Olympics were temporarily renovated and had problems more or less, but this venue was specially designed according to the characteristics of badminton.’

The illustration is of China’s badminton champion Zhou Mi who will try to work her way through to the Beijing Olympics. She retired from the Chinese national team in 2006 due to long-time knee injuries.
Source: China Daily

You play volleyball on a beach. A beach of good sand. During the Australian Olympics it was Bondi Beach and much attention was paid to getting the playing area into perfect order. Same is happening in for the 2008 Olympics although it is Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground, Beijing, rather than Bondi. The sand is being laid on the 20,000-square-meter space and there are 10,000 tons of it.

Canadian expert Todd Knapton is satisfied with the sand — from Dongfang City in Hainan Province — and the way it has been laid. The sand was also found suitable by the International Volleyball Federation for the 2007 FIVB Beach Volleyball Women’s Challenger scheduled for August 13-19, 2007, a test event for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. For that event half of the ground, 10,000 square meters, is being used and the venue should be up and running next week.

The Challenger is one of the 26 ‘Good Luck Beijing’ sports events to be held this year which allow the organizers of the Beijing Olympics to see that it all works.
Source: China Olympics

A courtroom has been opened in the 2008 Olympic village area to deal with civil cases in this area of the city where the 2008 Olympic Games will be held.

The People’s Courtroom of the Olympic Village, which will report to Beijing’s Chaoyang District People’s Court, will mainly handle civil cases reported in the areas around the Olympic Village — Datun, Laiguangying and Xiaoguan communities.

The National Stadium venue is also located in this part of the city so that it is literally the Olympics courtroom..

Tong Keke, secretary of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of CPC (Communist Party of China) Chaoyang District Committee, said, ‘The courtroom will contribute to security and stability in this area before, during and after the Olympics.’

Li Xinsheng, president of the Chaoyang court said on Thursday that cases related to the Olympics will be carefully scrutinized, especially those relating to demolition, forestation and road construction, as well as cases involving ticket sales and copyright infringements.

He said, ‘We will do our best to offer a rapid and convenient solution to such disputes through the new courtroom.’
Source: China Daily