A colossal Olympic design summit is slated to be held in China's capital early next month, aiming to polish the international image of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

The summit also marks the start of design competitions for the Olympic logo to be used for the 2008 Games.

A wide variety of participants including officials and designing consultants from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), image designers for Olympic Games host cities Sydney, Salt Lake City and Athens, elite designers from home and abroad, several IOC sponsors, and representatives from design companies and colleges, public relations companies and the media, will discuss how to develop a factual and illustrative symbol of the Olympics.

The summit, with an expected attendance up to 500, is the biggest of its kind for China.

Requirements and rules for the Olympic logo design competition will also be announced during the two-day meeting that opens on July 2.

This is the second major design competition since Beijing began its preparatory efforts after being designated as the host for the Olympics on July 13 last year.

The previous design competition bid for two Olympic venues including the Olympic Green and the Wukesong Cultural and Sports Center. Several international design magnates, including HOK International with its involvement in the past five Olympics, joined the race.

Officials from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Organizing Committee said that the summit will be helpful in luring more well known designers to join preparations for China's first Olympics in 2008.

(China Daily June 7, 2002)