Hein Verbruggen, Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, said here on Sunday that the Chinese capital's worsening traffic issue can be resolved with one year and nine months to go before the Olympics open.

Verbruggen, on a Doha visit for the Asian Games, said traffic is one of the challenges Beijing is facing because the IOC has never expected it five years ago.

Statistics showed that Beijing has 2.8 million registered motor vehicles, including 1.97 million private cars. Traffic jams are a daily occurrence in rush hour. In many downtown areas, cars and buses inch forward at a snail's pace.

But Verbruggen doesn't think traffic is a "problem" for the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) and he is confident that it can be resolved before the Olympic Games.

"It's a big challenge, not a problem. I am not talking about problems, but an issue. We are confident because I know they will resolve it.

"We are waiting for the BOCOG to come up with solutions when there are challenges like this. We are confident that BOCOG and authorities of Beijing will propose to us solutions if there are challenges."

Verbruggen spoke highly of the opening ceremony of the Doha Asian Games held on Friday night and went to say that Beijing can also show the world a similarly spectacular opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, which will combine its own culture, heritage and sport.

"China is a very, very big country, with a very large population. So there will be so many possibilities to express various Chinese culture and heritage. So we are confident the BOCOG will do very, very good," he said.

The Dutchman, who has been to Beijing many times since Beijing won the right to host the Olympics, praised Beijing's preparation for hosting the Olympics.

"We are very confident. All the promises made are kept. Everything the country has promised has been delivered," he said.