Delegates of the 2011 SU
March 1st, Huang guoqiang, deputy Secretary-General of Shenzhen, reports the progress of the preparations for 2011 Summer Universiade·Shenzhen to all FISU Executive Committee Members in Harbin. The executive committee members put a premium on the report.
Full Article:
Progress Report
for the 26th Summer Universiade，Shenzhen
Huang Guoqiang
Deputy Secretary-General of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government
First Deputy Director-General of the Executive Office of Organizing Committee
March 1, 2008
Harbin，China
Respected President Mr. George E. Killian,
Distinguished Members of the FISU Executive Committee,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to meet you again in this beautiful Chinese city of Harbin. It has been half a year now since I made my last presentation to the FISU Executive Committee in Bangkok and, smooth progress has been made in the preparations in all aspects for the 26th Summer Universiade since then. Today, I’m presenting to you the major achievements we have made over the past 6 months and our request for the optional sports programs for your consideration.
Now, let me begin by describing our achievements in the following aspects.First, we have further improved the organization structure and team building. We recruited the first batch of staff in various ways to strengthen existing ten departments of the Executive Office of the Organizing Committee. In order to meet the needs of our preparatory work, we plan to establish six new departments this year, namely, Volunteer Department, Media Department, Opening and Closing Ceremony Department, Information and Technology Department, Universaide Village Administration and Security Department.
Second, in accordance with the Key Milestones for the 2011 Summer Universiade provided by the FISU Secretariat, we have compiled a Task Decomposition Table and a Chart of Work Schedule of the Executive Office (2007-2011) and, we have enhanced the supervision over the preparatory tasks.
Third, we have completed solicitation of logo, posters and slogans for the 26th Summer Universiade. The logo, named Happy U, after being approved by the FISU Executive Committee, was officially unveiled through the China Central Television at a grand entertainment evening on January 8 this year. The first Universiade Poster Design Contest was held in January this year and it attracted nearly 10,000 student participants from over 130 universities. The winning designs will be used this year. The slogan solicitation has concluded, and experts are being organized to evaluate those slogans. The mascot solicitation has started and is expected to complete in August this year.
Fourth, we launched the first Universiade Cultural Festival. In order to gather public support and enthusiasm and to better promote the Universiade, the Municipal Government of Shenzhen has made a decision to hold the Universiade Cultural Festival for four consecutive years, which comprises of a series of cultural activities. The first Universiade Cultural Festival with the theme ”Universiade ABC”, which was held from January 8th through January 17th this year, was a great success, attracting a lot of attention and coverage from the media.
Fifth, we have intensified the Universiade publicity. Our Universiade website has been visited for nearly 1 million times worldwide since its official opening. We have also publicized the Universiade by taking advantage of major sports events held in Shenzhen, such as the first China Cup International Regatta, the F1 World Powerboat Championship (China GP), the Omega Mission Hills World Cup (Golf) and a host of other sports events.
Sixth, we have strengthened links with universities and sports organizations in various countries and continents. We visited Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Myanmar, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and India to promote the Universiade. More promotional activities are expected in the future to further promote the Shenzhen 26th Universiade in all continents and to win support from more universities and sports organizations.
Seventh, we have held the first Sponsor Orientation. After careful preparation, we published the Universiade Marketing Plan and had the first Sponsor Orientation in January this year. These activities attracted the attention of many famous enterprises. The legislation on the protection of the Universiade intellectual property rights has been smoothly adopted.
Last but not least, we have made smooth progress in venue construction. We have adjusted the original venue arrangement. We’d like to use 76 venues for competition and training, 29 of which will be new venues and 47 of which will be renovated ones. The three main venues including the main stadium, the main gymnasium and the swimming and diving center have entered the phase of full-swing construction. The construction of the main venues complies with the principles of being “scientific, green and culture-oriented”. Environmental protection, energy conservation and barrier-free services to the disabled will be attached with great importance. The designs of the individual buildings of the Universiade Village have been completed, and construction will begin soon. The construction sites for the School of Navigational Sports as the sailing and surfing events venue, the International Broadcast Center (IBC) and the Main Press Center (MPC) have been selected, and related preliminary work will be completed in June this year. The construction of the new venues has been proceeding remarkably well. The Shenzhen University City Sports Center, the first large sports venue to be built for the Universiade, has seen three-fourths of its main body being completed. The whole project will be completed in August next year. For the Bao’an District Stadium that will host football matches, foundation treatment has begun and the construction of the main body will begin in the second half of this year. The Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, which will host football, table tennis and swimming events, will enter the construction phase in July this year.
Mr. President, Members of the FISU Executive Committee: The above mentioned are the latest developments in our preparations over the past six months. What is most gratifying to us is that during this period, FISU has maintained a close working relationship with us and offered us guidance and help over major issues.
Next, I’ll present the optional sports programs of the Shenzhen 26th Universiade for the consideration of the FISU Executive Committee.
As I said earlier, we have adjusted and expanded the original venue plan, aiming at hosting a “most exciting, spectacular and impressive” university sports gala in history. According to the existing venue plan, we intend to have 11 optional sports programs besides the FISU-designated 10 compulsory sports. The 11 optional sports are badminton, shooting, sailing and surfing, cycling, golf, chess, archery, aerobics, taekwondo, beach volleyball and weightlifting. These sports have been approved by the Federation of University Sports of China and the State General Administration of Sports and have also won strong support from federations of individual sports in China. We believe that as these are all the sports of the World University Championships or the sports of the International Sports Federations, they are popular among university students around the world and represent a combination of mental power and competition techniques and a combination of land sports and water sports. Further, Shenzhen has competition venues for and expertise in these sports. Our sailing and surfing base is a marine training base built exclusively for the 26th Universiade and, Shenzhen has already hosted some major international sports events, such as the Asian Surfing Championships in 2002 and 2004, the World Mistral Surfing Championship in 2006 and the China Cup International Regatta in 2007. For the golf sport, the Mission Hills Golf Club is the largest of its kind in the world and has hosted the Mission Hills World Cup (Golf) for 12 years running. Our world-class cycling track has hosted many national and international races. Our venues for other optional sports programs are also eligible for individual sports competitions and can entirely meet the competition standards. As Shenzhen has hosted 133 major national and international sports events since it became a city, our experience in games organization can be of a great help to the organization of the 2011 Universiade.
Mr. President, Members of the Executive Committee: Shenzhen’s preparations for the 26th Universiade are in full swing. We shall expedite venue construction, actively conduct marketing and organize diverse cultural activities. In the year of 2008, we shall strive for greater progress in our preparations.
An old Chinese saying goes, “Separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by pre-destination.” Today we come together here to promote the development of the Universiade and Shenzhen, the young and vibrant city, also looks forward to your visits in the near future. It is our hope that Mr. President and other FISU officials will pay frequent visits to Shenzhen to inspect and guide our Universiade preparations. Thank you very much!