Beijing will send 3,200 model nurses to the 31 Olympic venues to provide immediate medical services for athletes during the Games.

They will be picked from among the city's 60,000 nurses, said Wang Liming, of the Beijing Municipal Federation of Trade Unions.

"They must be proficient nurses enjoying a good reputation among patients," she said.

"Those who perform outstandingly during the Games will be rewarded," she added.

A total of 24 hospitals have been designated to provide medical services for the Olympics, including the China-Japan Friendship Hospital which will serve the athletes, the Beijing Union Medical College Hospital which will serve Olympic officials, and the Beijing Anzhen Hospital which will serve reporters.

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2008)