OLYMPIC GAMES AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

UN official: Beijing Olympic games
"leave valuable legacy for China"

BEIJING, August 15 (Xinhua)

The biggest legacy of the Olympic Games for China is the
promotion of the country's long-standing and sustainable
development, a leading UN official said on Friday.

For the past eight years, China has made great efforts to
prepare Beijing and other cities for a world-class Olympics
with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, and the
public awareness of environmental protection is growing
with it.

"The next focus of China is to further promote the concept
of Green Olympics and finally realize the goal of making a
Green China,"said Malik, who also showed appreciation for
China's efforts to make a smoking-free Olympics.

China's changes brought by the Games should be evaluated by
the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015, said Khalid
Malik, the UN Resident Coordinator in China.

He also noted that the Games had played an important role
in boosting gender equality and helping women to get rid of
poverty.

He cited Chinese Weightlifter Chen Xiexia of women's 48kg
class as an example.

Chen, who won the first gold medal for China at the Beijing
Olympics, grew up in a poor rural area, but she finally
became the world champion with the support of All-China
Women's Federation.

Malik said the spirit of Olympic volunteerism is also one
of the legacies.

"Their work demonstrated the spirit of humanity, and that's
what the Olympics legacy really is," He said.