Courier giant UPS announced on Tuesday it expected to deliver more than 19 million items for the ongoing Beijing Olympic Games.

The items included all the Games-related equipment and auxiliary appliances used at competition venues. These ranged from tennis balls and canoes to computers and scoreboards.

UPS, the official logistics and express delivery sponsor of the Games, had delivered 10.6 million items for the Games to date and intended to transport another 4 million items during the Olympiad that runs from Aug. 8 to 24.

Scott Davis, the company's chief executive officer, said it had processed more than 10,000 tonnes of Olympic equipment, equivalent to approximately 1.5 times the weight of the steel frame used in the National Aquatic Center, also known as the Water Cube. About 2,000 UPS staff were working to help Beijing successfully host the grand event.

Yan Ligang, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) Logistics Department director, said UPS was clearly dedicated to its partnership with the Games. This was evident through the intense preparations and staff expertise in dedication and ability to handle complex logistical tasks that clearly demonstrated the power of the UPS global network.

The U.S.-based delivery giant manages and operates the Olympics Logistics Center (OLC), the central hub for Beijing Olympics logistics. All shipments related to the Games are delivered to the OLC and UPS receives and stores the goods in the facility.

It is also responsible for reverse-logistics during the post-Games period and logistics for next month's Paralympic Games.

(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2008)