Continuing the Olympic spirit with a two-week festival in Beijing

Officials at the festival's announcement in Beijing.

The first Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival is scheduled to kick off on August 8 in a bid to continue the Olympic spirit and people's love of sports, the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) annouced Wednesday in Beijing.

Two weeks of sports-related activities are planned and will mainly take place in and around Beijing's Olympic Green.

"Nine years ago on the same day in Moscow we got the great news of hosting the 2008 Olympics, now the Olympics are over, we want to continue this momentum and carry the great Olympic spirit through the Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival," said Jiang Xiaoyu, vice chairman of BODA.

The festival will include the Beijing Olympic City Development Forum with the theme Transition From an Olympic City to a World City, several outdoor summer events, Beijing International Sports Film Week and many children and youth's sports events.

According to BODA, the Olympic Green will come alive with free gym equipment for everyone to enjoy, outdoor cinema and exhibitions.

During the festival the fountains, lights and other facilities will be at the same volume and standard as they were during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, according to the organizers.

"An important part of Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival is the involvement of the public," Jiang told the Global Times.

"We have set up a free gym and fitness area with top gym facilities and an outdoor cinema showing sports films. We want the public know the pleasure of sports and make sports a regular habit and part of their lifestyles," he explained.

For children and youth, BODA has organized a soccer competition for primary and middle school students in Beijing. A total of 586 schools have already entered the competition, with the finals for both primary and middle schools taking place at the Bird's Nest on August 20.

"The young generation is the future of our country, sports and health are essential for them. The number of participating schools is four times more than we expected, we are all very pleased with the involvement of the students," Jiang said.

This year the event is scheduled to run from August 8-22 with BODA stating that the festival will become an annual event, taking place every August or September in Beijing to continue the Olympic spirit across the city.