In a circular letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) dated April 2, 1906, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games invited members to an advisory conference to determine "to what extent and in what form the arts and literature can participate in the celebration of the modern Olympiads".

Above and inset: Dance Along the River during the Qingming Festival, a play performed by the Hong Kong Dance Company. [China Daily]

Coubertin's version of Olympism - what the Olympic Movement aspires to be - is inextricably linked to the arts and humanities "harmoniously joined with sports".

Thanks to his vision, his work has been as applicable to host cities of recent Olympic Games as it was to the nascent Olympic Movement of 1906.

In 2003, Norbert Muller, Manfred Messing, and the Research Team Olympia of the University of Mainz (Germany) studied the meaning of the cultural program to spectators. Research from the 2002 Salt Lake Games showed 84 percent of respondents agreed with the statement - "The Olympic idea combines sport and art."

This significantly high response compares with 72 percent for the 2000 Sydney Games, 23 percent for Atlanta in 1996, and 40 percent for Barcelona in 1992.

The research shows a trend in the growth of awareness of the significance of cultural and arts programs in Olympiads and Olympic Arts Festivals.

"The arts were always at the center of Coubertin's vision for the Olympic Movement. In the years of preparation required to deliver a credible Olympic cultural program, I have found that Coubertin's unflagging belief in the power of music, dance, and words was sustaining," Raymond T. Grant, the artistic director of the 2002 Olympic Arts Festival and managing director of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee writes in his article Contrast, Culture and Courage: A Cultural Administrator's tribute to Pierre de Coubertin.

To inherit the cultural legacy of Coubertin and highlight the value of cultural programs within the Olympic Movement - and the connection between artists and athletes - Beijing will host 2008 Meet in Beijing Arts Festival to celebrate the achievements of athletes alongside the accomplishments of artists.

China Arts & Entertainment Group (CAEG) launches the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival every April to May. This year, under the direction of the Ministry of Culture, the festival has been postponed and expanded upon. It will start on June 23, International Olympics Day, and run until mid-September.