30 July 2008
Windhoek — Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Ren Xiaoping yesterday hosted a scrumptious luncheon for diplomats and for the ten athletes on whose shoulders Namibia's medal hopes will rest at the historic 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Others in attendance at yesterday's reception were the Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Pohamba Shifeta who will also accompany the team to the Summer Olympics.
The Ambassador said people in Namibia will be "very lucky as the opening ceremony starts at 1:00 pm" on 08 August which she described as a very good time to watch the games.
"We will be watching the Namibian Olympic delegation walking into the stadium with the Namibian national flag. We will cheer for them and wish them success," said the Ambassador.
"Today, we have them all here. The 10 Namibian athletes, after very hard training, are all ready to charge and win medals. This reception is to see them off with the best wishes from all of us at the Chinese Embassy and from all your friends. We wish you good luck," Xiaoping told the highly anticipatory 10 athletes gathered at her official residence.
The Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skills and competitive spirit as it provides a ground for all the participants to strive for excellence in the spirit of "faster, higher and stronger," she noted.
"It calls for people across the world to set aside their differences, be it race, politics or religion, and come together for peace, friendship and sportsmanship. This is exactly what Beijing will offer the world in the games," said Ambassador Xiaoping.
With the determination and joint efforts of China and with the support of the international community, China has every reason to believe the Olympics will be a spectacular event.
China, a developing country with a population of 1.3 billion sports-loving and peaceful people, will be the first in the history of the Olympics to host the games in Asia.
"Since China won the bidding in 2001 the whole country has been mobilized and its government and people have gone all out to make preparations for the Summer Olympics.
The Beijing Olympic Games are being prepared under three concepts, namely: Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics.
Shifeta in his remarks said, "This team of young men and women will no doubt do Namibia proud. The strong motivation and encouragement that they have received in the past from the Namibian Government through the Namibian Sports Commission and the private sector will make sure that they get the job done in Beijing."
The ten athletes who will represent Namibia are Japhet Uutoni, Mejandjae Kasuto, Julius Indongo, Gaby Ahrens, Erik Hoffmann, Mannie Heymans, Helalia Johannes, Beata Naigambo, Agnes Samaria and Stephen Louw.
"To this end I call upon the strong participation of the entire Namibian nation and reaffirm that the enthusiastic support of individuals is essential," said the Deputy Minister.
To guarantee Green Olympics the government in Beijing has adopted numerous measures including massive afforestation, strict exhaust emission standards and the relocation of pollutive factories.
These actions led to Beijing's GDP decreasing by 5.11 percent in 2007, while water consumption dropped by 9.6 percent and CO2 and SO2 emission went down by 3.2 percent and 13 percent respectively because "of the relocation of some big factories from Beijing."
More than one million volunteers including 1 000 foreign volunteers have completed their training and are ready to provide service to the games and the multitudes of visitors, while strong measures have been taken to ensure tight security and food safety while meticulous arrangements are already in place to deal with any emergencies that may arise.
A record 30 000 journalists will cover the games and there are going to be 6 million on-site spectators from all corners of the world and millions upon millions of television viewers.
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