Organizers of the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will take place in China’s capital, Beijing, are optimistic that significantly more people around the world will watch the event on television than in previous years.

State media reported Wednesday that broadcast officials expect a global audience of approximately four billion people to watch next year’s Beijing Olympics.

Xinhua news agency quoted Ma Guoli, chief operations officer of the Beijing Olympics Dissemination Corporation, as saying: “The figure will be one billion more than that of the 2004 Athens Olympics, and I believe we can achieve that goal.”

Ma explained how his company would cater to the international appetite for the televised Games of the XXIX Olympiad: by using about 65 high-definition relay vehicles and 1,000 video cameras to produce some 3,800 hours of live television signals in 2008.

Ma’s company has already signed contracts with 45 television producers and employed 180 staff. About one-third of them are from outside mainland China. Suppliers have also been contracted to equip a planned 80,000-square-metre broadcasting centre, Ma said.

The 2008 Summer Olympics were awarded to Beijing, China in 2001. The games will be held from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Next year’s Olympics will include a new 10 km swimming marathon event, held in Hong Kong.