The top organizer of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing has called for special legislation by the top Chinese lawmaking body to ensure the success of the Games.
"I hope the National People's Congress (NPC) can draw experience from foreign countries and enact a law for the 2008 Olympic Games at an early date," said Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), at a panel discussion Wednesday of lawmakers attending the NPC annual session in Beijing.
Liu, also a deputy to the NPC and the Party chief of Beijing, cited the example of the 2004 Athens Games. "To maintain social orders during the Games, Greek lawmakers enacted relevant laws detailing stipulations such as the introduction of special express lanes for Olympic vehicles on the main roads of Athens," he said.
"With only a bit more than three years to go before the Beijing Games, we have to step up our legislative efforts to provide a solid legal guarantee for the success of the Games," said Liu.
With more than 2 million cars running on its roads and streets every day, Beijing is already suffering from serious traffic congestion, prompting many to worry about the transportation issue of the 2008 Games.
(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2005)