THE worst earthquake in a generation which recently devastated Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and Qinghai provinces will not affect the Beijing Olympics this August, said the organiser yesterday in Tianjin, a cosmopolitan and the largest port in Northern China which will co-host the games.

Professor Jiang Xiaoyu, Executive Vice President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) told the delegates from Asean, Japan, South Korea and China at the 10+3 Second Media Cooperation Forum held here the catastrophe is a big challenge for the BOCOG.

However, he said, it was the traditional Chinese belief that disasters helped create solidarity. "BOCOG has the confidence to achieve all the goals as scheduled and will definitely deliver a most successful Olympic Games eventually".

Approached by The Brunei Times, Jiang quoted the late poet and one of the greatest writers in the modern Chinese history, Guo Moruo, that "Setbacks and adversaries revered one's heroism". "Thus all the staff of the BOCOG will obtain strength from the disasters and the difficulties they are facing, and will go all out to bring the biggest world sports event in human history to a new height", Jiang said.

According to Jiang, Deputy Mayor of Beijing and the President of the National Youth Political College in the Chinese capital, construction of the Olympics facilities and buildings is going ahead in accordance to the plan. A total of 44 out of 46 "Good Luck Beijing" testing games have been carried out with satisfactory results and the last two will be completed by June 1, 2008. These testing games will ensure that hardware, software, technical systems, and service system of the games be fit for the Games.

He told the forum of "Sharing the Success, Sharing the News" that over 100 state leaders, heads of government and royalties have stated their plan to attend the Olympics Opening Ceremony and over 60 of them have been in contact with the BOCOG for the arrangement through diplomatic or other channels.