DUSHANBE, June 18, Asia-Plus  -- Issues related to preparation of the Tajik national team for Beijing 2008 Olympic games were discussed at a June 17 meeting of the working group, presided over Alimahmad Mirzoyev, the deputy head of the Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Affairs.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Mavlon Sharipov, the deputy head of the information analysis department within the Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Affairs,   said that the meeting had discussed various organizational issues, including publication of brochures and booklets about achievements of Tajik athletes that will participating in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

According to him, they have fulfilled some 70 percent of the program of preparation of Tajik athletes for participating in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing .

Tajik delegation numbering 34 persons, including 13 athletes, will leave for Beijing on June 31.

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008.   Some events will be held outside Beijing , namely football (in Qinhuangdao , Shanghai , Shenyang , and Tianjin ), equestrian (in Hong Kong) and sailing ( Qingdao ).   This will be the third time the Olympics are held under the jurisdiction of 2 different NOCs (Hong Kong and mainland China compete separately).

The Olympic Games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001.   The official logo of the games is titled  “Dancing Beijing.”