I have a dream
By Enid Chen
Photos by Yao Fan



"2000年悉尼奥运会开幕式上, 当我看到朝鲜和韩国的运动员手拉手进场时, 我特别感动. 我有一个梦想, 希望2008年北京奥运会的开幕式上, 海峡两岸的选手能共同组成一个代表团. "3月23日下午, 国际奥委会委员吴经国在厦门大学演讲"北京申奥成功及未来影响"时, 动情地说道.

"Since my first involvement in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, I have been engaged with the Olympics for 25 years. The moment I felt most touched was when I saw a delegation of athletes from DPRK and ROK walking hand in hand at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Now I have a dream that Chinese athletes from cross-Straits will form a delegation at the 2008 Beijing Olympics," said Mr Wu Jingguo, who has made an important contribution to Beijing's success in its bid for hosting the 2008 Olympic Games as a member of IOC (International Olympic Committee), as he delivered a passionate speech at Xiamen University, March 23.



Contributions to the bid for the Beijing Olympics

Already in his 60s, Mr Wu Jingguo was in fine form during his two-hour speech at Xiamen University. In his early years, he studied architecture in England. His love for sports later changed his life and turned him into an IOC member in 1988. "Everyone can have the chance to be an IOC member as long as he or she loves sports and is able to speak English or French, which are the two official languages of the committee." Wu told the audience.

As an IOC member, Wu witnessed Beijing's two bids for the Olympics - one for 2000 and the other for 2008. "In its first bid, it lost to Sydney by a narrow margin of two votes, 43:45. However, China would not have lost the two crucial votes if it were not for the Sydney bribe scandal. I bet before the second bid that China would make it this time. As I had predicted, in the second bid, China beat other cities to win the right to host the 29th Olympic Summer Games in 2008, thanks to its great potential for economic growth and the remarkable achievements in sport made by China over the previous decade," Wu reminisced.

"Before the final vote in 2001, the IOC gave favorable comments on Beijing's bid. They said 'If Beijing hosts the 2008 Olympics, it will leave China with a valuable cultural heritage'," Wu recalled.

According to Wu, Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympics has been exerting a positive impact on the city's development. "Beijing has improved a lot in air pollution. The gray sky we used to see is being more and more replaced with blue sky. In some aspects, they have already moved the city 20 years ahead."



A frequent visitor to Xiamen

Since the first Xiamen International Marathon, Mr Wu has been a frequent guest and visitor to Xiamen. He has watched the Xiamen International Marathon for the past three years and praised it highly.

"During my visits to Xiamen, I went to watch performances of the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra several times, which were very impressive. I will recommend it to the Beijing Olympics Committee as part of the cultural activities for the 2008 Olympics," he said.

When asked about the possibility of holding the Beijing Olympics marathon race here in Xiamen, Wu clarified that all the races are usually held in the host city except for some particular ones according to the regulations of IOC charter. "The marathon is the last race of each Olympics. It's unlikely that Beijing will give up hosting this race. Nonetheless, if Xiamen makes a bid for the Olympics in the future, I will definitely cast my vote for Xiamen." His humorous response won rounds of applause.

In his speech, Wu also revealed that the Torch Relay route for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will, for sure, pass through Xiamen. "By then, everyone can be eligible to be torchbearers and be part of the Olympics."

Vocabulary

margin 差距
bribe 贿赂
scandal 丑闻
heritage 遗产
torchbearer 火炬手

My Xiamen
Article and photo by Yongwei



I am Eduardo S. Garcia, from the Philippines. I am working as a musician at a bar in Xiamen.

1. How long have you been in Xiamen?
I have been here for about half a year.

2. What do you like best about life here?
People here always show their friendliness to me. What's more, the environment here is great.

3. What's your job here? How do you like it?
I am a musician; so far, my work here is just great.

4. How do you spend your spare time in Xiamen?
I often go to SM, Wal-Mart, and music shops with my band members.

5. If there was one thing that you could change about Xiamen, what would that be?
Sorry, I have no idea. Xiamen is such a great place.

6. What is your favorite dish?
Chao mian(fried noodles). I like it very much.

7. Compared with your hometown, what do you think are the differences between them?
I guess it's the weather. It is colder here compared with the Philippines.

8. What is your favorite quotation or piece of advice?
Let's keep peace.