Jiang Xiaoyu in a group photo with representatives of districts and counties of Beijing after awarding them with Olympic mascots

(BEIJING, January 22) -- The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) called for the shift of the Olympic education program from an exchange between Chinese schools and their foreign counterparts to the Games-time mode of an exchange between the Chinese schools and Olympic delegations.

BOCOG made the call on Monday, with the Beijing Olympics just 200 days away.

As components of the Games-time mode, teachers and students will enter the competition venues as well as the Olympic Village, and invite foreign delegations to tour their respective schools, according to Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice-president of BOCOG.

Using specially priced Olympic tickets, students of certain primary and middle schools across China will gather in Beijing to experience the Olympic joy. At the same time, students of Olympic education model schools in Beijing will go to the venues to cheer for the athletes from the countries whose schools are partners of the program. The Chinese schools will also take part in the welcome (flag-raising) ceremonies at the Olympic Village from July 27 to August 7. The Olympic Games will open on August 8, 2008.

Playing host to athletes from around the world, more than 200 Beijing schools will become quasi-Olympic venues," Jiang told a meeting on Monday. "The schools need to prepare well and make the guests feel at home," he added.

In a drive to promote Olympic education, 556 schools in China, including 200 in Beijing, have been named Olympic Education Model Schools. The Beijing schools have established partnerships with the Olympic committees of 205 countries and regions (NOCs) and conducted cultural, sports and educational exchanges with the partners schools recommended by the NOCs.