A survey released Monday revealed the intense anticipation held nationwide for the Beijing Olympics, with about three-quarters of respondents expressing their overwhelming excitement 150 days out from the opening ceremony.

The survey, conducted among 2,700 Chinese in 20 provinces and four major cities including Beijing, found 79 percent of residents in the capital were looking forward to the arrival of 16,000 athletes and coaches as well as some 30,000 journalists and dignitaries for the Aug 8-24 event.

More than 100 world leaders have expressed an interest in visiting Beijing in August, said Wu Dawei, vice-foreign minister.

"The figure is still on the rise everyday," he said on the sidelines of the annual session of China's parliament.

"The interesting thing is, the further people live away from Beijing and Shanghai, the more they anticipate the Games," said Miles Young, chairman of Ogilvy Group Asia-Pacific, which co-produced the survey with Millward Brown ACSR.

"For people in those regions, the Olympics is a very big event," said Young. "When the Olympics is here in Beijing, it is not just related to people in Beijing, but the people in the entire country."

Researchers in Beijing said the enthusiasm among the public capped a great build up to the Games over the past seven years.

"The whole society has taken part in the campaign," said Zhang Xiaojun, a sociology professor with Tsinghua University.

Thirty-four percent of interviewees in Shanghai and 26 percent in Guangzhou expressed a desire for a trip to Beijing during the Games, while 90 percent of Beijing respondents reported they had made up their minds to stay in town.

"I will be with my boyfriend in Beijing since we got the tickets to the women's volleyball semifinals, hopefully supporting the Chinese girls," said Chen Shuang, a senior student whose final year of studies will be cut short a month because of the Games.

The survey also revealed a third of the public were worried newly completed Olympic venues may become white elephants, while a quarter registered concerns about extravagant spending on facilities.

Results also showed the Beijing Games would also likely be the first Olympics to attract a large Internet audience, after more than half the interviewees said they would watch fixtures online.

(China Daily March 11, 2008)