More than 6,000 guests were present at the slogan announcement ceremony, among whom were Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), and BOCOG first VP Chen Zhili, and representatives from different walks of life, including Beijing-based foreign dignitaries.

"The Olympic Games are unique in their ability to attract the world's attention, using sport to promote peace and understanding. The IOC is delighted that BOCOG's slogan for the 2008 Olympic Games has captured that Olympic spirit," IOC President Jacques Rogge said in a letter of congratulations to BOCOG.

BOCOG issued a call for the slogan on 1 January, and the response was unexpectedly good. By the deadline at 5:30 pm on 31 January, the office for the Solicitation of Slogans for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games received at least 210,000 entries of slogans that people sent in by 10,123 emails and 10,038 letters, the release added.

After the deadline, BOCOG invited experts in the Olympic studies, sociology, sports, culture and linguistics to evaluate, pre-select, preview all the submissions based on the pre-set standards and in line with the principles of equality and fairness. The finalized slogan is the outcome of collective wisdom.

The slogan Beijing used during its bid campaign was "New Beijing, Great Olympics". It has successfully helped the world to recognize that Beijing, a city with a history of more than 3,000 years and at the heart of China's splendid culture, is also one of the fastest modernizing cities in the world. The new slogan shifted the focus from the city itself to the three concepts of 2008 Games (namely, Green Olympics, Hi-tech Olympics and People's Olympics) and the universal values of the Olympic Movement.

Games organizers have increasingly used Olympic slogans as an important platform to launch their communications campaigns. Slogans from past Games, such as "Share the Spirit" of the 2000 Sydney Games, and "Light the Fire Within" of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, have caught people's imagination and inspired millions around the world. "Welcome Home" also became a highlight during the Athens Games last summer and was a source of boundless pride for Greeks.