The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially awarded China's Xinhua News Agency the Host News Agency of the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing on Thursday.

The IOC, the Beijing Organizing Committee of 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG) also signed an agreement with Xinhua to entrust the Chinese wire service to set up the National Olympic Photographic Pool (NOPP).

Ma Shengrong (R), Vice President of state-owned Xinhua News Agency, was awarded the commission by Kevan Gosper, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Press Commission.IOC officially awarded China's Xinhua News Agency the Host News Agency of the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing October 26, 2006.[Xinhua]

"The International Olympic Committee is proud to appoint Xinhua News Agency as the Host News Agency for the 29th Olympic Games," said Kevan Gosper, chairman of the IOC Press Commission.

"As the national news agency of the host country and the Host News Agency for the Olympic Games, Xinhua will play a vital role in the overall success of the Beijing Games by providing a comprehensive news, sports and pictorial coverage of the celebration of the Olympic Games, while also adding an important national perspective to the international coverage of the Games," he said.

"Today is very special because we award Xinhua the Host News Agency and the Host News Agency will organize the NOPP," said Gosper, adding that AP, Reuters and AFP had signed an agreement to organize the International Olympic Photograph Pool in the First World Press Briefing for the 2008 Olympic Games here last month.

Vice president of Xinhua Ma Shengrong made a commitment to give a full news and photographic comprehensive coverage to the Beijing Olympics.

"Xinhua will come up with the norms of a major international wire service and the Host News Agency regarding coverage of the 2008 Olympics, and form an elite team with best reporters and editors to ensure a comprehensive news and photographic coverage of the Olympics, in particular of the Chinese athletes, for the Chinese media organizations," Ma said.

"As Host News Agency, Xinhua promises to provide media organizations from all over the world with assistance to the best of our capacities," he said.

The BOCOG applauded the appointment of the Host News Agency and the signing of the NOPP agreement, calling it also a milestone for the BOCOG.

"Xinhua awarded the Host News Agency and signing the NOPP agreement is a milestone for BOCOG's preparation for the Games media service. It represents the official start of the cooperation between the IOC, BOCOG and Xinhua," said Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the BOCOG.

The NOPP for the Beijing Games is set up in line with the Host City Contract and IOC Technical Manual on Media. The NOPP will supply a sufficient number of professional photographers for the Games. In return, the BOCOG will provide the best conditions for the NOPP members.

Xinhua is now the largest news and information collecting and distribution center in China, and a news agency with a global reach, providing non-stop news service in seven languages -- Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Portuguese.

Xinhua has its own Website Xinhuanet.com, which is the largest online news service in the country and publishes a dozen newspapers and magazines such as Xinhua Daily Telegraph, Reference News, Economic Information Daily.