Beijing will hold the second Olympic Cultural Festival from June 23 to July 13, a senior official of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) said in Beijing on Sunday.

"The theme of this year's Olympic Cultural Festival is 'Sports -- Bridge of Culture and Friendship Linking East and West'," BOCOG vice-president Jiang Xiaoyu told Xinhua.

According to Jiang, the festival will feature exhibitions and forums on the Olympic Movement and a series of mass activities in the Chinese capital city.

Jiang also said BOCOG is to launch a global search for the mascot design for the 2008 Olympics.

"The mascot should be a symbol of China and well accepted by the world," he said.

The Olympic Cultural Festival will be held annually in the lead up to the 2008 Games and the first edition was held last September.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2004)