A biennial meeting of national Olympic committees opened Monday in Beijing, with the heads of national Olympic committees around the world getting together to discuss issues related to the Olympic Games.

"The Association of National Olympic Committee has supported very resolutely and firmly the organization of the Beijing Olympic Games and it will make all efforts so that the Games may achieve the greatest success for the benefit of the young athletes, and as a contribution towards friendship, solidarity and peace among the youth and all peoples from around the world," ANOC president Mario Vazquez Rana said in his opening remarks.

"Organizing an Olympic Games is an extremely arduous and complex task. Only the closest cooperation between all members of the Olympic Movement as well as the political will of China's government will make it possible to reach the high objectives sought with the Beijing Olympic Games," he added.

The ANOC is currently made up of 205 NOCs and is split among five continental associations. They meet at least once every two years to exchange information and experiences in order to consolidate their role within the Olympic Movement.

The ANOC assembly will be followed by an executive board meeting of the IOC in Beijing from April 10-11. It will include reports on the IOC's latest activities and receive updates on preparations for the forthcoming Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.

The opening ceremony for the ANOC assembly was attended by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2008)