Beijing's budget for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games will not exceed Athens' spending on those events of the 2004 Games, said a top official of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics(BOCOG) on Tuesday.

"Beijing has yet to figure out its budget for the opening and closing ceremonies ... But it is for sure that Beijing's budget will not exceed the cost of the ceremonies of last year's Athens Games," Jiang Xiaoyu, BOCOG's executive vice-president, told a press conference.

The opening ceremony of the Athens Games won worldwide acclaim for its evocative tableau of 3,000 years of Greek history and culture. It registered a new record in TV viewing on a world scale,according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Athens' spending on the opening and closing ceremonies totalled 81 million euros, a BOCOG official said on condition of anonymity.

BOCOG on Tuesday launched a worldwide search for creative ideas for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. BOCOG will accept ideas through July 31, 2005.

Jiang said that Beijing will adhere to the principle of "frugal Olympics" in organizing the 2008 Games, but funds needed for the opening and closing ceremonies will be put aside as they are the "key" work.

"As far as the cultural sense of an Olympic Games is concerned, the opening and closing ceremonies are the most important parts, so we will endeavor to make them a complete success," said Jiang.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Games is scheduled on August 8, 2008 and the closing ceremony on August 24.

Source: Xinhua