(BEIJING, July 26) --"I firmly believe that the Beijing Olympic Games will be a great athletic competition," Mario Vázquez Ra?a, President of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), said Wednesday in an interview at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.

On the issues of the environment and transportation, two major concerns for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Mr. Vázquez Ra?a, who is also a member of the executive board of the International Olympic Committee, believes that the Chinese government and the Beijing municipal government have already put in a great deal of efforts to address these concerns and have made some notable progress.

Early next April, the IOC will hold a conference in Beijing to assess the progress of the Olympic Games preparations. Mr. Vázquez Ra?a, however, is not too worried. Progress reports from both the IOC and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) have convinced him and others that BOCOG's approach to the preparation work is orderly and systematic.

As for the opening and closing ceremonies, Mr. Vázquez Ra?a hopes that China will treat the world to two shows with distinct Chinese flair. "I hope that the Chinese people can present the uniqueness of their culture in the opening and closing ceremonies," he said.