The deadline for submitting sculptures for the Beijing Olympics have been moved back by three months until March 1, 2006 in a bid to draw more excellent works, the organizing committee said on Thursday.

"At the request of many who intend to enter the competition, we decided to prolong the solicitation period which had initially been scheduled to end on December 1 this year,"Zou Wen, secretary-general of the solicitation organizing committee, told a press conference.

According to Zou, the organizing committee have so far received some 680 entries from over 30 countries and regions since they launched the worldwide campaign on August 8, exactly three years before the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Zou denied that the decision to move back the deadline was made because the works received fail to impress the organizers.

"We even did not open the seal, so we actually don't know what these works are," he said.

A total of 290 works selected from the entries will go on an exhibition tour in China next year. Among them 110 will then be chosen, based on the results of a public vote and experts' opinions, for a global show tour, while 29 sculptures will finally be given awards in gold, silver and bronze categories.

The Beijing Games will run from August 8 to 24.

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2005)