The Olympic Games, the world's greatest sporting event, attracts heads of state and heads of government from all over the world. Among those who have confirmed they will be attending are US President George W. Bush, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

It is not yet known exactly how many heads of state will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games although, last November, during a visit to America, Liu Qi, chairman of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, disclosed that more than 50 had confirmed that they would attend.

Although diplomats of many countries have indicated that their heads of state will attend the Olympics, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has so far made no official announcement. At press conferences, foreign ministry spokesmen fend off questions with the stock answer, "I'm not authorized to announce which foreign leaders will attend the Olympic Games."

According to the International Olympic Committee, it is up to each individual country's own Olympic Organizing Committee to invite its head of state and head of government to attend the Games.

(China.org.cn July 11, 2008)