Following their successes at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, some Australian companies have become the first winners in the Beijing 2008 Olympics by participating in preparations for the world's top sporting event.

Sandy Hollway, former chief executive of the Sydney Olympic Organizing Committee and now a member of the Sydney-Beijing Olympic Secretariat, said Australian firms have won about half of the design contracts for the 2008 Olympic venues, including the national swimming center and a shooting venue.

Hollway on Tuesday told a conference at a sports facilities exhibition in Beijing that the total value of the projects was estimated at three billion Australian dollars (US$2.37 billion).

"Australian architects are also short listed for participation in all current venue tenders and these projects have a value in excess of two billion Australian dollars," Hollway said.

With contracts in hand and optimism over the bidding prospects, Australian companies have their eyes on the follow-up business.

"The focus of the coming year will be to assist Australian participation in supplying goods and services for the design, development and construction of both major and smaller venues," said David Churches, director of the Sydney-Beijing Olympic Secretariat.

The 27 Australian participants at the exhibition, most of which contributed to the Sydney Olympics, cover steel manufacturing and construction, railway infrastructure, seating systems, electronic projection and environmental technologies.

"We have offered products and services for the Sydney Olympic Games and for Chinese projects as well," said Wang Fengchi, regional manager of the Blue Scope Steel Coated Steel China, a local branch of Australia's Blue Scope steel enterprise.

"Our production bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu will also try to serve the Beijing 2008 Olympics with the highest quality," Wang said.

"The preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games to date are excellent. In particular, progress with the construction of the venues, the first great challenge for any Olympic host city, has been managed exceptionally well," said Churches, adding that challenges still remain.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2004)