from city to countryside:Olympic education

At a launching ceremony on Friday, pupils of the urban schools expressed their readiness to share their sport skills, creative works, toys and other education resources with their fellow students in the city's rural areas. The students at the ceremony were eager to celebrate the partnership.

In his congratulatory message, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and secretary of the Beijing Municipal CPC (Communist Party of China) Committee Liu Qi said the campaign can foster the links between urban and rural areas and promote the balanced development of education.

Zhu Shanlu, another Beijing official in charge of the city's education affairs, described the joint education endeavor as an important aspect of the Olympic spirit – sports for all. The partner schools will share their resources and optimize their respective advantages to jointly contribute to a flowering and harmonious city, Zhu said.

Since September 2006, about 200 "Olympic education Model Schools" in Beijing's urban area have taken preliminary steps to enter into partnerships with rural counterparts.

Vice-Mayor Sun An'min attended the ceremony.

Shuttle-cocking