One World, One Dream

One world. One dream. In the coming years. even for decades to come. the four simple English words will be closely. unmistakably linked to the Summer Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games that Beijing will be hosting in 2008.

``One world. One dream`` is the slogan for the Beijing 2008 Games. It was announced at a grand ceremony held in the Chinese capital this evening and was broadcast live on CCTV and Beijing TV. the country`s two heavyweight broadcasters.


Immediately after the announcement made by Li Changchun. member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. a big round of applauses echoed in the Beijing Workers` Indoor Arena. where the ceremony was held.

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.

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 Vice-President 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 January 1. 2005. and the response was unexpectedly good. By the deadline at 17:30 on January 31. 2005. 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 letters and emails came from all over the world. including all the provinces and autonomous regions on the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions and Taiwan.as well as the United States. Great Britain. France. Japan. the Republic of Korea. Cuba. Norway. Brazil and many other countries and regions. Most of the slogans submitted are in Chinese. some are in English. French and Spanish.

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.