MUMBAI: China has declared the slogan for its Beijing 2008 games as, "One world, One dream". This was announced at a grand ceremony held in the Chinese capital and the event was broadcast live on CCTV and Beijing TV.
A promotional video for the Beijing Olympic Games slogan was shown at giant screens erected in the indoor arena. A jubilant mood filled the air, and festive art performances by Chinese and foreign artists followed. China Mobile, one of the official partners for Beijing 2008, sent the slogan, in the form of a short message, to all its subscribers across China only minutes after the slogan was announced, stated an official release.
More than 6,000 guests were present at the slogan announcement ceremony, among whom were Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), and BOCOG first VP Chen Zhili, and representatives from different walks of life, including Beijing-based foreign dignitaries.
"One world, One dream' is an embodiment of the wisdom of hundreds of thousands of people," BOCOG President Liu Qi said in his address, "It is a slogan that conveys the lofty ideal of people in Beijing as well as in China to share the global community and civilization and to create a bright future hand in hand with people from the rest of the world. It expresses the firm belief of a great nation, with a long history of 5,000 years and on its way towards modernization, that is committed to peaceful development, harmonious society and people's happiness. It voices the aspirations of 1.3 billion Chinese people to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful and bright world."
"The Olympic Games are unique in their ability to attract the world's attention, using sport to promote peace and understanding. The IOC is delighted that BOCOG's slogan for the 2008 Olympic Games has captured that Olympic spirit," IOC President Jacques Rogge said in a letter of congratulations to BOCOG.
BOCOG issued a call for the slogan on 1 January, and the response was unexpectedly good. By the deadline at 5:30 pm on 31 January, the office for the Solicitation of Slogans for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games received at least 210,000 entries of slogans that people sent in by 10,123 emails and 10,038 letters, the release added.
After the deadline, BOCOG invited experts in the Olympic studies, sociology, sports, culture and linguistics to evaluate, pre-select, preview all the submissions based on the pre-set standards and in line with the principles of equality and fairness. The finalized slogan is the outcome of collective wisdom.
The slogan Beijing used during its bid campaign was "New Beijing, Great Olympics". It has successfully helped the world to recognize that Beijing, a city with a history of more than 3,000 years and at the heart of China's splendid culture, is also one of the fastest modernizing cities in the world. The new slogan shifted the focus from the city itself to the three concepts of 2008 Games (namely, Green Olympics, Hi-tech Olympics and People's Olympics) and the universal values of the Olympic Movement.
Games organizers have increasingly used Olympic slogans as an important platform to launch their communications campaigns. Slogans from past Games, such as "Share the Spirit" of the 2000 Sydney Games, and "Light the Fire Within" of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, have caught people's imagination and inspired millions around the world. "Welcome Home" also became a highlight during the Athens Games last summer and was a source of boundless pride for Greeks.
