Olympic Games a legacy for China's future: political advisor
11/3/2008 16:52
The Olympic Games in August is not a goal in itself for China, but a
valuable legacy for future generations, Deng Yaping, a veteran woman table
tennis player, said on the sidelines of the meeting of China's top political
advisory body.
"Hosting the Olympic Games is a great achievement in China's
sports history, but it doesn't mean that when the curtains are down, sports
development is over," said Deng, a member of the 11th National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
The Olympics will
leave a legacy for China, she said, including first-class stadiums as well as
skilled personnel familiar with international rules.
Protecting and fully
using the stadiums and expertise are key to a sustainable development in the
post-Olympic era in China, she said.
Deng also pointed out that in the
future, sports could play a more important role in diplomatic relations. "By
hosting the Olympics, we have learnt how to deepen understanding and exchanges
with foreign countries," she said.
Her view was echoed by Wang Rusong, a
researcher with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences and deputy to the 11th National People's Congress,
who saw the legacy of Olympics from another angle.
"The Beijing Olympics is
an opportunity for improving the environment in terms of a long process," he
said. "We should not concentrate on the issue merely in terms of improving
China's image in the world."
Beijing has shut down polluting industries and
relocated the major steel manufacturer, Shougang Group, a heavy polluter, to
north China's Hebei Province. In the meantime, its facilities have been upgraded
to make it more environment-friendly.
Xinhua
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