Since the Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation Committee made announcements to recruit 56 talented Chinese people from both at home and abroad, 3,691 persons have registered applications with an average of five dozen candidates applying for each opening for China's first ever Olympics. Forty-eight percent of candidates hold a master degree, further increasing the competitiveness of the recruitment process.

Zhang Zhiwei, deputy director of the committee's Personnel Department, said that in addition to a written examination which was held on November 24, the committee would arrange another written examination for overseas candidates, saving commutation time from foreign countries. The Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation Committee will interview those who excel during the written exam and make their final selections accordingly. According to Zhang, since September the committee has been inviting experts to design questions in areas such as quality assurance, professional skill and practical capability.

If the recruitment process fails to engage appropriate talent, the committee will continue to repeat the procedure until such time as suitably qualified professionals can be employed. The Supervision Committee for the 29th Beijing Olympics will follow up and administer the recruitment practice to ensure openness, fairness and transparency throughout the process. The recruitment exam on November 24 is a prelude to the committee's recruitment drive. Zhang said that around half of all candidates hold a master degree. The recruitment assembly was surprised to see that as many as 80 candidates had taken tests in both English and French languages, the official languages of the International Olympics Committee. The Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation Committee has an especially urgent need for bilingual talent.

Zhang said that it is the dream of many young people with noble aspirations to become a member of the Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation Committee, and be part of history as China hosts its first ever Olympics. The committee is currently composed of 100 people. As the committee begins to roll out its various undertakings, the number of staff will increase. By 2008, the committee will have over 4,000 employees. The competition for an opportunity to serve as a member of the committee is so fierce that some candidates can't help drawing parallels with university entrance exams, post-graduate selection exams and even postdoctoral selection exams. China's university entrance examinations are notoriously strenuous for both students and their families.

(china.org.cn by Alex Xu, November 30, 2002)