Olympic Education Programmes for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a Collaboration of Grassroots and Government (Report‪)‬

Introduction The Games of XXIX Olympiad have drawn worldwide attention since 13 July 2001, when Beijing was granted the right to host the Olympics. (1) The main reason is that the games will be staged in a country with quite a different social and cultural background from that of previous host countries. There has been much speculation about what impact the Games will possibly generate on the social and political spheres of this most populous country in the world. It is the author's contention that Olympic education, as a key element of the Olympic Movement, could play an important role during the period leading up to and following the Games. "Olympic education" is the label used to describe the programs designed to provide Chinese people with basic knowledge about the Olympic Games, promote sports and physical fitness as a way of life, instill certain ideals and values, and allow the populace to personally take part in the whole phenomenon of the Olympic Games and "walk together with the Olympics," as a popular slogan goes.