(Source: Xinhua)MADRID, Nov. 18 — 11 major Chinese government departments have combined in an effort to combat doping more effectively, a top Chinese sports official said here on Friday.

Duan Shijie, vice director of the State Sports Administration of China (SSAC), said at the World Conference on Doping in Sport that a coordination group of anti-doping had been founded in China, which is chaired by SSAC director Liu Peng.

According to Duan, it also consists of experts and officials from other ministries including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Health, China Customs, the State Industrial and Commercial Bureau, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Food and Drug Administration, and the Legislative Office of the State Council, as well as BOCOG.

“We are aware that effective doping control is not confined within the sport arena, but needs the efforts by all government and social departments as well as cooperation from the international community,” said Duan, also the deputy director of the coordination group.

“That’s why we got the idea of such a group which could better serve anti-doping fights with support from and cooperation between different departments.”

In August this year, the State Councilor of China Chen Zhili convened and hosted a meeting, discussing methods to implement the international convention and regulations and to clean the epidemic in sport.

The meeting was attended by representatives from all the 11 ministries, which paved the way to the coordination scheme.

Duan also highlighted China’s other achievements in fights against doping including the recent foundation of an independent National Anti-Doping Agency.

“With a total of 60 working staff, this independent agency will further improve China’s anti-doping work,” he said.

China conducted 9428 tests on its athletes in 2006 and the total number of tests is expected to exceed 10,000.

“About 60% of the tests are out-of-competition and without advance notice. Elite athletes from high-risk sports are our major testing targets,” he said.

The Chinese also made brief introduction of the progress in anti-doping work for the Beijing Olympics.

“The number of tests for the 2008 Olympic Games will total more than 4500. A new laboratory with a total area of 5500 square meters will soon be operational,” he said.

“The Chinese Anti-Doping Organization and BOGOC will make joint efforts to cooperate with the IOC and WADA to make this Olympic Games a clean one.”

(Source: Xinhua)Nov. 17 - Eleven major Chinese government departments have combined in an efforts to combat doping more effectively, a top Chinese sports official said in Madrid on Friday.

Duan Shijie, vice director of the State Sports Administration of China (SSAC), said at the World Conference on Doping in Sport that a coordination group of anti-doping had been founded in China, which is chaired by SSAC director Liu Peng.

According to Duan, it also consists of experts and officials from other ministries including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Health, China Customs, the State Industrial and Commercial Bureau, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Food and Drug Administration, and the Legislative Office of the State Council, as well as BOCOG.

“We are aware that effective doping control is not confined within the sport arena, but needs the efforts by all government and social departments as well as cooperation from the international community,” said Duan, also the deputy director of the coordination group.

“That’s why we got the idea of such a group which could better serve anti-doping fights with support from and cooperation between different departments.”

In August this year, the State Councilor of China Chen Zhili convened and hosted a meeting, discussing methods to implement the international convention and regulations and to clean the epidemic in sport.

The meeting was attended by representatives from all the 11 ministries, which paved the way to the coordination scheme.

Duan also highlighted China’s other achievements in fights against doping including the recent foundation of an independent National Anti-Doping Agency.

“With a total of 60 working staff, this independent agency will further improve China’s anti-doping work,” he said.

China conducted 9428 tests on its athletes in 2006 and the total number of tests is expected to exceed 10,000.

“About 60% of the tests are out-of-competition and without advance notice. Elite athletes from high-risk sports are our major testing targets,” he said.

The Chinese also made brief introduction of the progress in anti-doping work for the Beijing Olympics.

“The number of tests for the 2008 Olympic Games will total more than 4500. A new laboratory with a total area of 5500 square meters will soon be operational,” he said.

“The Chinese Anti-Doping Organization and BOGOC will make joint efforts to cooperate with the IOC and WADA to make this Olympic Games a clean one.”

Chinanews, Beijing, November 17 ¨C With the opening of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games drawing near, the general public has become more and more curious about the preparation of the Games, particularly about its environmental effect., thus Yu Zaiqing, the vice chairman of BOCOG and deputy director of the National Sports Administration, had an interview given to a local newspaper.

¡°I am confident to say that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games won’t need any financial support from the central government, which is very rare throughout the entire history of Olympic Games. We have started the operation of the Games in a business way. All the investments on the Olympic venues are from enterprises, which will be able to retrieve the investment via using the venues as commercial stadiums and gyms after the Games. Thus both the problem of building Olympic venues and using them after the Games will be solved, not to mention that such venues can be a great benefit to the general public,¡± said Yu.

The total cost of hosting 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is estimated to be $2.4 billion, and all the money needed has been and will be collected in a market way. The authorization of broadcast right of the Games alone has brought in $1.67 billion, 49% of which has gone to the BOCOG. The business cooperators of the Beijing Olympic Games have also contributed a great deal, including famous enterprises like Samsung and Panasonic. The sales of Olympic-related goods and the admission tickets of the Games have also helped the collection of the funds.

It is estimated that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will net a profit of $20 million - $30 million, which will be used to set up a special fund for Chinese athletes.

(Source: Xinhua)WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 - Houston Rocket’s giant center Yao Ming was named the National Basketball Association’s player of the week on Monday.

The Chinese Yao averaged 27.8 points, 10.5 rebounds to garner the Western Conference award while new Boston Celtic forward Kevin Garnett won the Eastern Division award.

Yao also averaged 2.8 blocks per game, leading Houston to wins over Charlotte, Milwaukee and San Antonio.

Garnett claimed the Eastern Conference award after averaging 22.7 points, 15.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists during three consecutive Celtic wins.

The Celtics (5-0) are now the NBA’s only undefeated team.

Garnett had a double-double in each game as the Celtics defeated Denver, Atlanta and New Jersey.

(Source: China Daily)Nov. 13 - The nation’s first anti-doping agency was set up Monday to ensure a clean 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

“We want to show the world our resolve to fight doping,” said Duan Shijie, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports (SGAS), the governing body of all sports in China.

“The agency is a significant development in China’s anti-doping program. It will make our work independent, authoritative and professional,” he added.

The China Anti-Doping Agency (CADA) - at the National Olympic Sports Center - has 60 staff, from the Research Institute for Sport Medicine, the SGAS and the Chinese Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Commission.

CADA will act as a testing site during the Games and will coordinate a current campaign against illegal factories that make steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Duan said rapid progress has been made in anti-doping efforts during the past 20 years; and the agency now meets international standards.

In the latest major drug case in the country, top triathlete Wang Hongni was last month banned for two years by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) after testing positive for exogenous metabolites of testosterone during an out-of-competition drug test on August 24.

Wang is the second high-profile Chinese athlete to be banned for doping since the 2004 Athens Games - long-distance runner Sun Yingjie tested positive at the Chinese National Games in 2005.

To make the Beijing Games a “Clean Olympics”, 9,424 athletes were tested last year and another 10,000 are expected to be tested this year. The number of doping tests at the Beijing Games will increase to 4,500, up from 3,700 in Athens.

Duan added that the establishment of CADA will “help build a professional team to concentrate on anti-doping work in the long run”.

The country’s first anti-doping program was launched in the 1980s.

In 1992, the Chinese Anti-Doping Commission was established. Three years later, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed the Sport Law of China, which stipulates that “prohibited substances, and methods are banned in all sports”.

The campaign got a fillip on March 1, 2004 when the Anti-Doping Regulation of China, issued by the State Council, came into force.

It tightens control on banned drugs and prescribes criminal penalties to serious offenders.

Chinanews, Beijing, Nov. 12 ¨C Although China produces all kinds of delicious food in the world, it is known that Western food will become the main kind of food served during the 2008 Olympic Games.

The information was recently released by Li Qing, head of the Service Department for the Beijing Olympic Games. In attending a forum titled “WTO and China: Beijing International Forum (2007)” last Friday, Li said Beijing was fine-tuning the scheme and making some useful improvements for the Olympic menu. About 70% of the dishes served at the Olympic Games will be Western food, and Chinese food and other flavors will account for 30% of all dishes. Currently, some food companies that can provide excellent services with strict management have been chosen as the food providers for the Olympic Games.

So far, hotel accommodation, catering and medical service work for the Olympic Games has been proceeding smoothly. Beijing municipal government has done a lot of work in guaranteeing food safety and sufficient food supply.

¡°In ensuring food safety, we have made the Olympic Food Safety Action Plan and the Olympic Games Food Safety Criteria. We have applied strict requirements and surpervision in choosing Olympic Games food providers,¡± Li said.

So far, the preparation work for the Olympic Games medical and accommodation services has been basically finished. In Beijing, about 21 hospitals and 122 hotels have been chosen to provide services for the Olympic Games.