Ｗｅ　Ａｒｅ　Ｒｅａｄｙ.docVIP

Ｗｅ　Ａｒｅ　Ｒｅａｄｙ 　　 　　When the Beijing Olympic Games open next month, the sailing competition will take place in Qingdao, Shandong Province, 　　August 9-21. We interviewed Xia Geng, mayor of Qingdao and head of the Sailing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games. 　　 　　China Today: Qingdao has changed a great deal since the spadework for the sailing competition began. Could you please bring us up to date on your current state of readiness, and how you appraise the five years of work that have gone into the preparations? 　　Xia Geng: Preparatory work began in June 2003 with the establishment of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee. Over the past five years, we have remained faithful to our commitment to hold “a green Olympics, a sci-tech Olympics and a people’s Olympics.” A world-class venue for the sailing competition has been built; a comprehensive operations system has been put in place, and a large staff with ample experience in international competitions has been trained. As you know, Qingdao has been closely associated with the Olympiad these past five years. The preparatory work has boosted the city’s economic development and broadened its policy of openness. Residents of Qingdao have seen their incomes rise and their quality of life improve. Currently, services related to the Olympiad, such as construction, competition organization, security and volunteer services, have all passed muster. Built to exacting and environmentally friendly standards, the Olympic venues are ready for use. We are confident that the sailing competition will be conducted at the highest level, and we pledge to do everything we can to make the Beijing Olympic Games a success. 　　China Today: As a partner city of the Beijing Olympic Games, Qingdao is in a position to take advantage of this great opportunity to advance local progress. Could you please tell us how you have propelled the city’s development by using this chance? 　　Xia Geng: Indeed, hosting the sailing competition is the chan