Directors from the functional departments of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) will talk with media face to face every Tuesday starting this week.

"In order to know more about the requirements from the media, BOCOG has decided to set up this media day using the directors of various BOCOG departments every Tuesday," said Li Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympic News Center.

"We hope to learn from suggestions by the media representatives as well further improving our work," he added.

Entitled "Getting to know us," the activity is an unscripted, casual, face-to-face dialogue with members of the BOCOG staff.

It is the first time an Olympic host city has decided to hold a weekly media reception of this kind.

Sun Weijia and Gao Changli, director and deputy director of BOCOG's Media Operations Department, were guest speakers at the first media day last Tuesday.

During the meeting, which attracted over 90 media staff from nearly 50 organizations, the two directors answered questions concerning non-accredited media, how to rent cars in Beijing, shuttle buses for the media to use and also hotels. They also recorded suggestions.

To better serve the media, a vice-president of BOCOG will also meet representatives on the third Friday of each month.

The Beijing Olympic News Center will also organize group interviews for foreign reporters, such as for the Olympic security and training of China's Paralympic athletes.

(China Daily November 16, 2007)