China to consider Taiwan role in 2008 Games as HK misses out

China to consider Taiwan role in 2008 Games as HK misses out

Alan Low, Agence France-Presse, Hong Kong

China will give serious consideration to allowing Taiwan to host events for the 2008 Olympics, but Hong Kong's hopes of playing a sporting role have been all but ruled out, Beijing's mayor said Wednesday.

Taiwan had expressed interest in hosting "one or two sporting events" when China was bidding for the games, Liu Jingmin told a session of the World Economic Forum's East Asia summit in Hong Kong.

But it had not formally applied to host any events since Beijing was awarded the right to host the games in July, he said.

"However, if we receive formal applications from the Taiwan Olympic Committee, then we will seriously consider it," he said.

It had already been decided that the Olympic torch will pass through Taiwan, he said. "The torch will pass through Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan because we want Taiwan people to enjoy the Olympic spirit."

The Olympic torch is traditionally carried from Greece, where the games began, to the host city.

Taiwan and China have been separated since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the island part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

However, the passing of the Olympic torch through Hong Kong seems to be as close as the former British colony, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, will get to Olympic action.

The territory's hopes of staging preliminary events during the showcase event were dashed after Liu said mainland cities had instead been preferred to host the opening stages of the soccer and sailing competitions.

The territory had harbored high hopes of being given the chance to play an active sporting role in the games as a reward for throwing its full support behind Beijing's campaign to secure the games for the first time.

However, Liu said International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations stipulated only four cities were permitted to hold the preliminary stages of the soccer and Shanghai, Tianjin, Qinghua and Beijing had been selected.

Hong Kong's strongest claim to hosting an event had appeared to lie in watersports -- namely sailing -- as it sits on a natural harbor.

Its claims appeared to be strengthened by the fact that Lee Lai-shan had claimed the territory's only ever Olympic gold medal in windsurfing during the 1996 games in Atlanta.

However, Beijing had rejected the territory in favor of staging the sailing events in the idyllic coastal city of Qingdao in north-eastern China, Liu said.

"If the IOC will allow it, we would like to invite more cities to host events, but after all, it is Beijing that is holding the Olympics and not the rest of China," he added.

Hong Kong as the largest investor in Beijing still had a major part to play, he said noting the territory's key advantages of language, its unique position as China's gateway and the expertise of Hong Kong firms in conducting business on the mainland.

However, the territory could expect to receive no preferential treatment in winning business arising from opportunities presented by the staging of the games, he said.