© Slovak Post, 2008 The XXIX Olympic Games will be held 8 – 24 August 2008 in Beijing, with the slogan ‘One World One Dream’. The Olympic Football Tournament will be played in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Quinhuangdao, while Qingdao and Hong Kong will host the sailing and equestrian competitions, respectively. About 10,500 sportsmen and sportswomen will compete in 302 disciplines (thereof 165 men’s, 127 women’s, and 10 mixed competitions) covering 28 sports. At the 112th IOC Session, which took place in 2001 in Moscow, Beijing was elected the Host City for the Games, beating candidates such as Toronto, Paris, Istanbul, and Osaka. Today, the official symbol ‘Dancing Beijing’ invites the world to experience Chinese culture. The modern architecture of sports facilities and the impressive flower decoration of Tiananmen Square - otherwise having very different connotations - should make the impression that the country of over a thousand years’ of traditions is ready to make another leap. This time, it’s a leap into the 21st century. Controversies on questions such as human rights violations, the situation in Tibet, Myanmar, and Sudan’s Darfur, will not lead to the boycotts which hampered the Olympic Games in Moscow 1980 or Los Angeles 1984 – but not the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Jacques Rogge, President of the IOC, and Juan Antonio Samaranch, the Honorary President of the IOC, team up with main sponsors like Adidas, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s in the hope that the Games will be successful. About 50 Slovak competitors will expect difficult climatic conditions and tough global competition. The organisers are planning an Olympic torch relay to the top of Mt. Everest. In view of the recent 15th anniversary of the Slovak Olympic Committee (December 19, 1992), each member of the Slovak Olympic family surely hopes to climb his or her personal ‘Mt. Everest’ and enrich the Slovak collection of 15 Olympic medals. Peter Osuský