Before athletes begin to fight it out in Beijing in 2008, the battle of the Olympic mascot has already begun. In Sichuan Province, the campaign for the panda to represent the Olympic games is in full swing.
With just months to go before Beijing decides who will represent the 2008 Games, the panda campaign headquarters in Sichuan is buzzing with activity. The director of the office says the panda is the perfect embodiment of the Olympic spirit, representing peace and harmony.
Director of Olympic Mascot Bid Office, Sichuan Ouyang Jun said, "We've taken note of the panda's popularity worldwide... We think pandas are the most famous animals anywhere in the world."
More than half of China's pandas live in Sichuan Province, as they now fight back from the brink of extinction. The panda is already well known as the logo for the World Wildlife Fund for Nature but artists in Sichuan have prepared 29 different designs for consideration by the Beijing Organizing Committee.
An art Student said, "Pandas enjoy a high status in people's minds. The Olympic Games has long been the dream of the Chinese people so the two things put together means a precious thing."
Along with the panda, tigers, Tibetan antelopes, and the Monkey King are also being considered. Olympic officials will announce the new face of the 2008 Games in June 2005. In Sichuan, everyone is hoping it will be the day of the panda.
(CCTV November 11, 2004)
