Gong Zheng,deputy commissioner of the General Administration of Customs of China at the press conference.[BOCOG]

Gong Zheng, deputy commissioner of the General Administration of Customs of China, said that the 2008 Olympics represented a severe challenge for customs to handle the huge inflow of people and materials, but his administration has taken a series of measures to ensure speedy and smooth passage.

"First, the customs officers will use E-port and the Internet to deal with Olympic goods. Special passages and desks will be setup to treat special cases in a special way," Gong told a news conference in Beijing.

"Olympic materials will be allowed into the country if furnished with valid guarantees and a special certificate delivered by BOCOG. Customary formalities will be done later," he added.

In addition to 10,500 athletes, more than 20,000 foreign journalists and support staff are expected to descend on China during the 2008 Games.

Gong also flagged a crackdown on fake Olympic-endorsed goods, saying more than 100 cases of imported and exported goods infringing on the Olympic trademark had been handled since 2002.

"Regarding intellectual property protection, problems do exist in China, but IPR protection is a long, ongoing campaign, so it is inevitable or natural to see such problems arise," said Gong.

"The Chinese government has been stepping up efforts in recent years to protect intellectual property, and we will continue to strengthen the work."