Non-accredited media people from all around the world are also welcome to cover the Olympic Games, said an official yesterday.

The Beijing Organizing Committed for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and Beijing government are busy preparing a press center for the non-accredited media.

According to the Games regulations, the non-accredited media will not enjoy the same rights as those who have received accreditation. They will not be allowed to enter Olympic venues, take the media shuttle buses, or use the Olympic information system, Info 2008.

"We are paying attention to the non-accredited media and we're trying to provide as many services as possible in the press center," deputy director of BOCOG media and communication department, Wang Hui, said.

She did not reveal the location of the center, but said it would enjoy a very good view of the capital. The center will have the same time schedules as the Main Press Center, home for the accredited media.

"We have learned from the experiences of the organizers of the Athens Games and Sydney Games, and we are now drafting an information extension plan to help non-accredited media get more information," Wang said.

To maintain a high level of services for the media, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has imposed a strict quota - 5,600 for the written and photographic press, the same as that for the Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Games.

For the broadcasting media, the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co will hold 4,000 accreditation cards and 12,000 will go to Right Holding Broadcasters.

Sun Weijia, director of the BOCOG media operation department, said more than 10,000 non-accredited media people are expected to visit Beijing before and during the Games.

The department yesterday also published guides for foreign media, Hong Kong/Macao media and Taiwan media, which provide concise interpretation of the laws and policies relating to their coverage of the Games.

(China Daily July 5, 2007)