(BEIJING, March 1) -- The Executive Board of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) discussed the forthcoming Olympic Cultural Festival at its 78th meeting on Thursday, underlining the need to ensure a wide participation¹ of the public in the festival.

The meeting examined a report on the draft of the fifth Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival to be opened on June 23 this year, which is expected to make important contributions to this year's preparatory work for the Olympics by illustrating² the Olympic spirit.

Through all kinds of cultural activities related to the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to be held in the capital city in 2008, the festival will express Beijing's and the nation's wishes to share the Olympic joy with all people around the globe, show Chinese people's enthusiasm and passion for the Olympics and create a cheerful and auspicious³ atmosphere in anticipation⁴ of the Games.

The festival, which will aim at mass participation, will also serve as a platform for popularizing Olympic knowledge and for promoting the campaign "Welcome the Olympics, Improve Manners and Foster New Attitudes" and the slogan "I Participate, I Contribute and I Enjoy".

After listening to a report on BOCOG's practice to engage a number of foreigner experts, the meeting was of the opinion that hiring an appropriate number of highly qualified⁵ foreigners can contribute to the success of the Olympic Games by raising the level of the Olympic preparations, and favor the integration⁶ of international criteria⁷ with China's reality. This would also be seen as a fulfillment of China's promises to the world.