By Carlos Arthur Nuzman (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-09 07:28

The Beijing Olympic Games will lift world sports to a new height.

China will turn the event into a great opportunity to show the world its culture, customs and, mainly, the country's progress since its economic opening up in the late 1970s.

About $40 billion has been invested in urban infrastructure, sports facilities and environmental protection - a figure not matched by any previous or future Olympic Games host country.

For example, the London 2012 budget is currently about $19 billion. In addition to having one single source of financing, the Chinese government itself, the efforts put into the 2008 Olympic Games intends to achieve world recognition of a new worldwide economic power - something that is invaluable for the Chinese.

Apart from being a showcase of China's customs and traditions, the Games also features other attractions.

The Olympic Stadium (Bird's Nest) and the Water Park (Water Cube) are innovative and functional. Their daring architectural design has caught everyone's imagination.

The high quality standard of the Olympic Village also deserves mention.

The grandeur of China is proportional to the efforts made by the Chinese Government and the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) to turn Beijing 2008 into a magical, everlasting experience.

From President Hu Jintao to the most humble employee, the Chinese have been committed to and united around the Olympic Games. This union and determination of a people and nation are essential for the success of an event like the Olympic Games.

China passed with honor the test events, demonstrating it has a solid operational structure. The 15 thousand athletes and officials who will represent their countries in Beijing will have at their disposal state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

The work and mobilization around the Games has been extraordinary, everything to turn Beijing into a world reference in sports and economy.

Thanks to the massive investment made by the government in sports, China has consolidated its position as an important high-performance sports venue on the planet.

The Olympic Games will confirm China as a sports power and leave other legacies like social inclusion and integration, and a country dedicated to environmental improvement.

The Chinese understand that sports must go hand in hand with the process of social development. The commitment by the government and BOCOG leads us to believe that Beijing 2008 will be the best Games in history.

The author is president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee

(China Daily 04/09/2008 page9)