Beijing tour: Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Carrie Yau is pictured with 2008 Olympics Youth Programme participants outside the Great Hall of the People.

Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Carrie Yau has joined 800 Olympics Youth Programme members to meet Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Vice-chairman Du Qinglin in Beijing.

Mrs Yau said the hosting of the Olympic Games in Beijing has provided an unparalleled opportunity for Hong Kong youngsters to visit the capital and its Olympic venues.

"We can sense the enthusiastic ambience here and many people are eagerly awaiting the games. Through taking part in these activities and recording what they have learnt on the trip, all of my younger friends here would deepen their knowledge of the Olympic Games, the Mainland's latest developments in different spheres as well as the Olympic team spirit," she said.

Apart from this programme the Hong Kong Youth Sector's Organising Committee for Pre-Olympic Games Celebration and other groups ran two other activities during the Easter holiday to welcome the staging of the games.

About 3,000 youngsters from Hong Kong, Beijing, Qingdao, Macau and Taiwan took part in the three events, with 1,600 from Hong Kong.

Mrs Yau said the Hong Kong Government is promoting the Olympics and national education, allocating $2 million to finance the three activities with generous sponsorship from the community.

The 2008 Olympics Youth Programme is being held in Beijing and Hong Kong until March 29. Young people have met designers of the Olympic Torch and the National Stadium to better understand the importance of creativity. They also toured Olympic facilities in Beijing and talked with the first Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei and other athletes.