President Hu's visit to Sydney Olympic Park today clearly demonstrates that Sydney's hosting of the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games continues to reap benefits for Australian business and tourism, strengthening ties between Australia and China.
As leader of the country that will host the 2008 Games, the President prioritised a visit to the former Games site to get a first-hand look at how the organisers of the 'best Games ever' did it, and what lies ahead for the transforming Sydney Olympic Park.
The Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) - headed by Chairman David Richmond and CEO Brian Newman - works closely with the Sydney-Beijing Secretariat to provide expertise on the planning and organising of the Sydney Games to their Beijing counterparts.
Brian Newman says it is the legacy of the Olympic Games that continues to open doors for Australia into China.
"The Olympic ideals of uniting nations and creating bonds, combined with the expertise of having staged a very successful Games, are serving to underpin a vital component of Australia's ties with China," Mr Newman said.
SOPA, as part of its charter, assists future host and bid cities with their Games preparations, having hosted a variety of Greek and Chinese delegations at Sydney Olympic Park since 2000.
Last year SOPA hosted a Sydney-Beijing workshop aimed at providing 30 members of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) with an expert insight into hosting the world's largest event. Recent Chinese delegations and dignitaries the Authority has hosted to share information on environmental and venue management as well as operations and logistics, include:
· Vice President All-China Women's Federation - Mme. Hua Fuzhou
· Party Secretary of CPC Qingdao Committee - Mr Du Shicheng
· BOCOG
· Beijing Polytechnic University
· Sydney/Beijing Secretariat
· Beijing Urban Construction Investment & Development Co
· Changzhou City Council
· China Ministry of Science & Technology
· Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co
It is understood that President Hu will be particularly interested in how to best utilise an Olympic site in the post-Games period. Sydney Olympic Park is in the process of implementing the unprecedented vision of transforming an Olympic site into a thriving town centre and building a lasting Olympic legacy. "The ideal of Olympism that blends sport with culture and education, is one of the guiding principles of our place-making work at Sydney Olympic Park" Mr Newman said.
Over half a billion dollars worth of residential and commercial construction is scheduled to commence next year. The Park currently attracts over 5.5 million visitors a year and in 2002 hosted 1,759 events.
Further information: Shannon Kliendienst: 9714 7118 or 0414 662209
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