Ｑｉｎｇｄａｏ Ｓｅｔ ｔｏ Ｓａｉｌ

Hearing the name Qingdao men-tioned in casual conversation，for many what first comes tomind is the world-famous beerthat is brewed there， Tsingtao. Others morepersonally acquainted with the seaside citymay recall summer resorts and European-styled architecture tucked in among lushboscages. But soon the city will be betterknown for a momentous sporting occasion－the 2008 Olympic sailing events.

\"During the 2008 Olympics， in Qing-dao the greatest number of gold medals willbe awarded， compared to other Olympiccompetition venues outside Beijing. It isestimated that the pending Olympic sailingevents will accelerate the city's develop-ment by eight to 10 years，\" explained WangHaitao， spokesman for the Qingdao Munici-pal Government， during an interview withthis reporter.

Situated on the shore of the YellowSea， Qingdao boasts ideal sailing condi-tions and a long-lived regatta tradition. In1999， then a candidate city for the 2008sailing events， Qingdao joined forces withBeijing in China's bid for The Games. OnJuly 23， 2001， when Beijing was named ashost city， Qingdao officially became thecity that would host the sailing events ofthe 29th Olympics.

The Qingdao International Sailing Cen-ter， at the city's eastern edge on the shore ofFushan Bay， features dramatic picturesquelandscapes and four docks especially con-structed for oceanic sporting events. Thebay was formerly occupied by the BeihaiShipyard. After the shipyard relocated， thesite was ideally suited for the developmentof competition and training venues.

Competitive Configuration

Although it was mid-summer， the air wasa little cool when I rose early in the morn-ing. Exiting the doors of the hotel， I saw thatthe entire city was bathed in warm morningsunlight， and flowers and lawns were in fullbloom and lush. It was a rare opportunity toenjoy this beautiful city， since the prior dayI was busy with interviews.

After about 15 minutes strolling in thepleasant breeze， I arrived at the QingdaoInternational Sailing Center. Leading to theentrance is a paved road which traces theshoreline. As I approached， the first things tocome into view along the breakwater werecolorful flags dancing in the breeze and aline of eco-friendly wind generators， eachof which powered a partnered streetlamp.In the distance， several especially sleek sail-boats rode the currents of wind and sea. Per-haps their crews were in training.

Since 2001， when Beijing successfullywon her bid to host the 29th Olympics，many countries have dispatched their sailingteams and researchers to Qingdao. The cityhas also generated a great deal of interestamong international sailing organizations.In the past two years， the city hosted severalinternational sailing competitions.

To the left of the road in front of the Qin-gdao International Sailing Center stands theOlympic Village. According to constructionmanagers， a crew from the Haier Group washandling interior decorations. To the left ofthe sailing center is the Yandao Internation-al Apartments. Strolling along the seashorepromenade to the right of the sailing center，looking downtown one will see the founda-tions of several office buildings on the rise.In advance of the Olympics， Qingdao isinvesting more than 30 billion yuan in thedevelopment of urban infrastructure， transitsystems and IT upgrades.

Regatta Revenues

According. to the municipal govern-ment， Qingdao has realized an annual GDPgrowth rate of better than 15 percent sinceBeijing won the 2008 Olympics bid in 2001.The goal of doubling GDP by 2012 is ex-pected to be realized two or three years inadvance， so as to surpass the average levelof middle-income countries. Thanks to theappeal of the pending Olympics， the num-ber of overseas tourists to Qingdao eachyear is estimated to increase from today's684，000 to 1.3 million in 2010. This willfurther boost ancillary development of thecity's tertiary industries.

After the 2008 Olympics， the QingdaoInternational Sailing Center will be open tothe public and serve as a tourism， recreationand fitness center. And more: The OlympicVillage will be converted into a five-starhotel; the Media Center will be convertedinto a yachting club with a berth capacity of700 boats; the Athlete Center will becomea sport and recreation venue; and the Ad-ministrative and Competition ManagementCenter will serve as the National SailingSchool and as the Oceanic Sports Train-ing Center. The goal of city managers is tosee Qingdao become known as one of theworld's great cities for sailing.

\"According to social research conduct-ed on the overall development of Qingdao，the Olympic sailing events will stimulate amultiplier effect in the city's future devel-opment，\" says Zang Aimin， vice mayor ofQingdao. Already， due to rapid developmentin recent years， Qingdao was listed amongChina's Top Ten Economically-DevelopedCities， along with municipalities like Bei-jing and Shanghai.