(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-08-08 17:33

Tiananmen Square was the center of celebrations Wednesday as the countdown to the Beijing Games reached the one-year mark.

Chinese performers stand near a sculpture depicting a warrior performing gymnastics on a horse after a ceremony to welcome the one year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the Millennium Monument in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug 8, 2007. Later in the evening, at 8:08 pm and 8 seconds, a grand ceremony will kick off the countdown to one year until next year's opening ceremony on Aug. 8, 2008, for Beijing to host the most awaited Olympics in history. [AP]

Eight is a lucky number in China, so the magic moment was to come at 8:08 pm - and 8 seconds - marking one year until next year's opening ceremony on Aug. 8, 2008.

Everything seems on schedule for Beijing to host the most successful Olympics in history. Beijing's new anthem - the just-released pop song "We're Ready" - was to be part of a grandiose two-hour ceremony played out on a temporary stage under banks of searchlights.

"From what we have seen so far, the preparations for Beijing 2008 are truly impressive in every regard," said International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, who is in Beijing this week meeting students, planting trees and greeting Olympic sponsors.

"I don't think we have ever seen preparations on this scale."

The Chinese government has been efficient in building venues. Except for the iconic "Bird's Nest" National Stadium, all of the 37 venues are to be finished by the end of this year. Venue construction has eaten up only a part of the $40 billion being spent on new subway lines and skyscrapers to remake the capital.

There have been few delays, and the $2.1 billion operating budget has been offset by the vast revenue expected from TV and sponsorships.

To guarantee clean air during the 17-day Olympics, about 1 million of the city's 3.3 million vehicles are expected to be kept off the roads. Officials are also hoping to control the weather. Meteorologists began tests last month, firing rockets to disperse rain clouds - a move to guarantee sunshine. They've also fired rockets containing sticks of silver iodide to induce rain to clean the air.

"They've told us the factories will be closed for three months in 2008 and that they will have a directive to encourage residents to stay off the roads with their cars," said Steven Roush, chief of sport performance for the US Olympic Committee.

Chinese officials are also warning citizens to be good sports.

"It is natural for the Chinese people to hope and wish for good performances since China is the host country," said Wang Wei, an executive vice president of the Beijing organizing committee. "I also want to tell the Chinese spectators that while we can be a winner, we should also be a polite loser."

Revenue from local sponsorship is expected to be at least double that of Sydney or Athens, reported to reach $1.5 billion, with billions more spent on advertising and promotional campaigns.

Although many athletes will eat specialized diets provided by their own teams, Olympic organizers have also promised to track food electronically from the field to the consumer.

"Great achievement is always accompanied by great challenges," said Jiang Xiaoyu, an organizing committee executive vice president. "While the Beijing Olympics are a great opportunity, we are also confronted with huge challenges."

The government earlier this year removed reporting restrictions and promised foreign journalists "complete freedom to report."