U.S., China sign Olympic accord

IRVINE, Calif. — China and the United States on Friday signed a groundbreaking document that will increase athlete and coaching exchanges and anti-doping cooperation between the nations in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Games.

The three-page agreement was signed by U.S. Olympic Committee Chair Peter Ueberroth and President of the Chinese Olympic Committee Liu Peng at the United States Olympic Committee's international office about 30 miles southwest of Los Angeles.

"We are honored today to have the minister here to sign with us an accord between two cities, our two Olympic teams and our athletes. There is nothing better to make friends between nations than their athletes," Ueberroth said just before signing the documents.

Among other things, the agreement requires that each country receive at least one high-level sports delegation every two years and calls for greater cooperation in the fight against doping.

The document, written in both English and Chinese, also calls for an increase in coaching and media exchanges, more joint training opportunities and exchanges between local sports clubs and other professional leagues.

China and the United States began their Olympic relationship in Lake Placid in 1980, but China won its first gold medal in the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Ueberroth said 100 nations agreed to boycott the Los Angeles Games, but China refused, and later all but six of the nations who had refused attended the Los Angeles Games. China is largely credited with bolstering the Games' image and success.

"I am grateful to China for making the 1984 Games so successful, and I would do anything to help make the Beijing Games successful," Ueberroth said.

After the signing ceremony, the U.S. Olympic Committee presented Peng with a torch from the 1984 Olympics that was signed by Rafer Johnson, who lit the torch at those Games. Ueberroth said it was one of six torches that remained from those Games.

Peng presented Ueberroth with a small banner bearing the logo of the 2008 Beijing Olympics before the two had champagne together.