Chinese armed forces ready for Olympics

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- After five years' training, China's armed police are in place and ready for the Olympic security tasks, according to the consensus from nationwide meetings on Wednesday. Chinese armed forces held the meetings to pledge their efforts for the success of the Olympic security tasks. About 49,000 armed police attended the meetings at 873 places around the country, including the major one in Beijing.

During the Games, armed police will undertake 12 security tasks. These include guarding Olympic venues, guaranteeing VIP safety, handling emergencies and fighting terrorists, among others. Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu attended the meeting in Beijing and urged the armed police to faithfully fulfill their tasks and leave no loopholes.

Li Jinai, head of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, required all armed police to fully understand the importance of the security tasks for the Games and spare no effort to attain the goal of safe Olympics. Beijing has deployed nearly 110,000 personnel, including police, army troops and volunteers to ensure the security of the Olympiad, while mobilizing the whole society, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

Official Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Ad No.1

Here you can watch the first in a series of official 2008 Beijing Olympic Games TV commercials, starring sportsmen and women from around the world including Roger Federer, Yao Ming, Yelenea Isinbayeva, Heile Gebrselassie, Liu Xiang, Vanessa Ferrari and Laure Manaudou.

Press release:
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - Chinese sport superstars Yao Ming and Liu Xiang feature as superheroes in a commercial for the Beijing Olympics released Thursday for screening around the world.
Yao, a center for the NBA's Houston Rockets, and Liu, the Olympic 110 meters hurdles champion, are joined by a stellar team of athletes _ including Roger Federer and Heile Gebreselassie _ for the «Heroes» public service film created for the International Olympic Committee. Other gold medalists who volunteered to be shown performing impossible feats include Sweden's Carolina Kluft, the heptathlon winner in Athens four years ago, and French swimmer Laure Manaudou, the 400 meters freestyle champion.
The commercial is part of a series of films called «The Best of Us» promoting the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games and the Olympic movement's stated values of excellence, friendship and respect.