Men's 3m syncro springborad in Diving World Cup

Wang Feng (top) and Qin Kai of China compete at the men's 3m synchronized springboard final during the 16th FINA Diving World Cup tournament held at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing Feb, 19, 2008. Wang and Qin won the title with 462.12 points, leaving the silver medalist Russians and bronze Canadian far behind.


Canadians Alexandre Despatie (R) and Arturo Miranda get ready to compete at the men's 3m synchronized springboard preliminaries during the 16th FINA Diving World Cup tournament held at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing Feb, 19, 2008. Despatie and his partner took the third place in the final, with Wang and Qin of China won the gold medal.

Olympic champion Dmitry Sautin (front), known as Russia's "Diving czar", competes in the men's 3m synchro springboard event at the 16th FINA Diving World Cup in Beijing's National Aquatics Center, the venue built for the upcoming Olympics. The pair won the silver medal.

Athen's Olympic champion Thomas Bimis and Alexandros Manos of Greece compete in the preliminary round of the three-metre synchronised springboard during the Good Luck Beijing FINA World Cup diving competition at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing February 19, 2008. Thomas Bimis failed to make the final as well as the Beijing Olympics.


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Wu Kesong Basketball Gymnasium


Journalists leave the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium after a media tour at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center in Beijing February 19, 2008. The gymnasium, which has a seating capacity for 18,000 people, will host basketball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympic in August.


A man walks outside Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center in Beijing February 19, 2008. The gymnasium, which has a seating capacity for 18,000 people, will host basketball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.


An overview is seen of the interior of the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center in Beijing February 19, 2008. The gymnasium, which has a seating capacity for 18,000 people, will host basketball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.


A general view is seen of Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center in Beijing February 19, 2008. The gymnasium, which has a seating capacity for 18,000 people, will host basketball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.


An overview is seen of the interior of Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center in Beijing February 19, 2008. The gymnasium, which has a seating capacity for 18,000 people, will host basketball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.


A security guard salutes passing visitors outside the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center in Beijing February 19, 2008. The gymnasium, which has a seating capacity for 18,000 people, will host basketball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.

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Price of Olympic products stable despite rising CPI

BEIJING - The Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG) Wednesday vowed to maintain the licensed Olympic product prices at present level despite the country's consumer price index (CPI) in January hitting a record high in 11 years.

Yuan Bin, director of BOCOG's Marketing Department, told reporters that they have taken measures to cut product costs in a bid to keep them at accessible prices to the general public.

"Our principle is to develop products that are affordable for the general public, so we paid a lot of attention to the prices," said Yuan.

"One of our measures was to cut franchise fee rate from 10 percent to 8 percent last year. Because franchisers made their contribution through franchise fee, lower fees will help to shave off cost to some extent," she said.

"And we also consider other measures such as more environment-friendly and cheaper packaging," she added.

The BOCOG reduced prices of some 2,000 types of products early last year as there are about 6,000 types available on the market.

China's consumer price index (CPI) rose 7.1 percent year-on-year in January and the CPI rose 4.8 percent in 2007, both the fastest paces in more than 11 years, according to the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

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British foreign secretary: Boycotts of Beijing Olympics are not the right path

LONDON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday that boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games is not the right path to take.

"We are ever excited about prospects for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing," Miliband said in an interview with Chinese reporters in London before his visit to China.

The 29th Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing in August this year.

"Everything we have seen and read suggests that preparations are proceeding in an excellent way. We very much look forward to a very successful Olympics, successful for China and successful for the world. We certainly believe that boycotts are not a right way," he said.

"China has big responsibilities around the world. We are looking forward to working with the Chinese government to ensure the values of stability, security and social justice. And only today I spoke with (Chinese Foreign Minister) Yang about our joint work that could help the situation in Darfur. And the Chinese envoy to Darfur is in London today, that sort of engagement is the right way to go and boycotts are not the right way," Miliband said.

"The prime minister (Gordon Brown) is determined to represent the whole of the country with his attendance to the Games," he added.

Answering a question on the Taiwan issue, the foreign secretary said that the British policy on Taiwan has not changed. "We oppose the referendum to join the UN in the name of Taiwan," he said.

Miliband expressed his high regard to the bilateral relations between Britain and China. "I can't think about a time that our relations are stronger, that is symbolized by the visit of the prime minister to China last month but also by cultural events like China Now going on in Britain."

British people are fascinated by the changes and improvements going on in China, and are trying to build bridges between the two nations, the foreign secretary said.

China is now a society offering massive new opportunities for its own people, and also has an important role to play in the world, he said.

"Both our countries are challenged by the facts of globalization. Economic and social changes are producing challenges for both the societies, challenges about security and stability, challenges about justice, challenges about environment, and the theme of my visit is how our two countries can work together and learn from each other in adapting to these challenges," the secretary told Chinese reporters.

The British foreign secretary travels to China on Saturday for about a week, visiting four cities -- Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chongqing and Beijing.

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Rogge: Beijing Olympics will be a success

MADRID, Spain _ The Beijing Olympics will be a success despite the threat of boycotts and Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's decision to pull out as an adviser to the opening ceremony, IOC president Jacques Rogge said.

"I hold much respect for Spielberg's decision and if an athlete doesn't want to go, I'll respect that, too. But the games will be a success, without a doubt," Rogge said in an interview published Tuesday in sports daily Marca. "The games are stronger than any one person."

Rogge expects many heads of state - including U.S. President George W. Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy - to attend the opening ceremony.

"All of the heads of state have said 'We will be present' and are not in favor of a boycott. Neither are the athletes," Rogge said. "I think boycotts are a thing of the past, not of the present nor the future."

Rogge reasserted that the International Olympic Committee would not tolerate athletes mixing politics with sport, especially on the podium.

"We don't want this to turn into a political demonstration. This is sport," he said.

The games run from August 8-24.

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An interior view of the Bird's Nest

A photo, taken on Feb. 17, 2008 in Beijing, shows an interior views of China's National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest". Constructions of the 91,000-seat arenas, the venue to hold the opening and closing ceremonies for the coming Olympics, near completion as the 80,000 unmovable seats have been installed by the end of January.

Workers clean the seats inside China's National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", Feb. 17, 2008. Constructions of the 91,000-seat arenas, the venue to hold the opening and closing ceremonies for the coming Olympics, near completion as the 80,000 unmovable seats have been installed by the end of January.


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