MOC secretary Cassar in Beijing meeting

Joseph Cassar, the general secretary of the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC), recently attended the Chefs-de-Mission meeting which was held at the China World Hotel in Beijing.

The meeting kicked off with a series of speeches from government representatives, officials of the Beijing Olympic Games Organising Committee and IOC president Jacques Rogge.

Rogge reiterated the IOC's resolve to fight doping in sports, announcing that 4,500 tests are planned for next year's Olympics, more than double the amount of dope tests held in Athens. The IOC chief told the audience that he expects air quality in Beijing to improve considerably by the time the 2008 Olympic Games get underway in August.

For the Beijing Games, there will be 12 new venues while many others have been renovated and expanded to host other events. The venues will be in four cluster areas. Minor changes in the competition schedule are still possible.

The Olympic Village will be open from July 27 till August 24, 2008.

During his visit to China, Cassar enquired about the possibility of sending some of our prospective athletes to train in Beijing prior to the Games. The MOC is also looking to set up a Malta Team Meeting Place in Beijing, which would also serve as a publicity vehicle for the country.

Cassar was also invited to plant a tree at the Olympic Friendship Forest which is near the Olympic Village. He also attended the 2008 Beijing Games one-year countdown ceremony which was held in Tiananmen Square.