BEHIND THE SCENES: A fork-lift truck driver at Beijing's Olympic Logistics Center loads equipment for a Good Luck Beijing test event in 2007

Li Yanling, Vice Director of Logistics Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), is feeling relaxed, even though the Olympics are approaching fast.

Li has been working on the Olympics since December 2003. In 2004, she went to Athens to learn from experiences there. "At that time, I thought the logistics work was very cumbersome, trivial and hard to organize," said Li.

The Olympic Games last for less than one month, but involve an incredible level of logistics work. When Beijing successfully bid for the Olympics in 2001, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized a number of enterprises to research the Olympic logistics system.

The result of that research concluded that the whole logistics project for the Beijing Olympics would cost 43.29 billion yuan ($6.18 billion), occupying about 15.5 percent of the total budget.

According to the BOCOG, the logistical demands of the Beijing Olympics have risen to a high level because the number of participants will be the largest in history. Within the 17 days of the Games, the Logistics Department will deal with tens of thousands of participants from over 200 countries, as well as delegates, service people, journalists and spectators. Logistics are of crucial importance and will decide whether the event is successful or not.

Unlike other BOCOG sections the work of the Logistics Department will be mostly complete before the Games. Li is confident that all the preparations have gone well and that the event will pass smoothly. Part of her confidence is based on the Olympic Logistics Center (OLC).

Located at Beijing Airport Logistics Park in Shunyi District, the OLC is an important unit in coordinating and protecting the security of Olympic materials. Referring to the experience of Sydney and Athens, the OLC has easy access to Olympic venues to make the delivery of materials convenient.

It is predicted that the total freight volume during the Beijing Olympics will reach 75,000 tons. A high level of efficiency will be needed to deal with that amount of cargo.

More than 90 percent of the Olympic venues, as well as the Olympic Village, the Press Village and the International Broadcasting Center, are located close to the Beijing Airport Logistics Park. Four expressways connect the main Olympic venue to the logistics park.

Another advantage of the logistics park is that it is near to the Beijing Capital International Airport and close to several express delivery service companies, including TNT and ZJS Express.

The OLC was officially put into use on March 8, 2007. Occupying 210,000 square meters, it is regarded as the main artery of the Beijing Olympics. Most Olympic materials, including scoreboards and sports facilities, will come here first before being distributed to more than 100 venues.

Last year, the OLC was put into full operation with the Good Luck Beijing competitions. "The OLC supports the operation of the logistics and strictly follows all the demands set by the BOCOG. All materials and express parcels must be examined at the OLC before being sent to the venues," said Li.

UPS, the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, operates the OLC.

Since signing a Beijing 2008 sponsorship agreement in July 2005, UPS has worked closely with the BOCOG to assess its logistics and express requirements for the Games and develop unique solutions.

According to a memorandum of understanding signed by UPS and the BOCOG, together they have developed a complete distribution and operation plan and provided express delivery and logistics services.

"As the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be the greatest ever, it will require everyone supporting it to deliver more," said Ken Torok, President of UPS in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since March 1, UPS has been using delivery vehicles that meet China's State IV Standard on pollution. This will reduce the poisonous emissions produced by vehicles by 3.3 tons during the Olympics.