In a lavish show of pageantry at Tian'anmen Square, the world was formally invited to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

All members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were invited by IOC President Jacques Rogge to come to China as the country started the one-year countdown to the opening of the Games.

Last night's ceremony started at 8 pm, exactly one year before the opening ceremony of the Games on 2008/08/08. The number eight is considered auspicious in China.

"The Olympic Games are the celebration of the values of Olympics and of sporting ideals by the youth of the world. They engender dreams and inspiration in the hearts of young people everywhere. I therefore call upon you all to enjoy the Games one year from now," said Rogge.

The presidents of the Greek, Canadian, British, Russian and Chinese National Olympic Committees accepted the invitation letters from Rogge as representatives of national and regional Olympic committees.

It is the first time the traditional IOC ceremony has been held in the host city of the Games rather than the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Rogge sounded upbeat about the preparations of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) for six years,.

"Since July 2001, the Organising Committee, led by President Liu Qi, has worked extremely hard to give Beijing an Olympic shape. Venues are almost finished and look fantastic," Rogge said.

"I would like to thank the BOCOG team, the government and all the people involved in the preparations for their sustained efforts and dedication over the last six years and for the good relationship we have established."

Great progress has been made in venue construction and most are nearing completion.

Of the 31 Games venues in Beijing, eight are completed, while the others are ready, or will be, before a series of test events starting from yesterday.

The city is also spending 6 billion yuan ($700 million) this year to upgrade its public transport.

In order to resolve the problem of air pollution, which is a top concern these days, BOCOG has promised to unveil a number of contingency plans during the Games and some of them may be tried during the test events this year.

"The coming year is a year of decisive battle for us," said BOCOG President Liu Qi. "We will try our very best in all the preparations to be a good host."

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, promised strong support from the central government.

"Staging a high-level Olympic Games with distinguishing features is the solemn commitment the Chinese government and people made," said Wu. "We will strengthen cooperation with the IOC and give full support to the preparatory work to ensure a successful Beijing Olympic Games."