IOC marketing chief Gerhard Heiberg says the Beijing Games will be the most financially successful in Olympic history.   

He says the games will generate an estimated three billion dollars, setting a new benchmark for future Games such as the 2012 event.

The Beijing organizers have already raised 600,000 dollars from local sponsorship and Heiberg predicts the final total will reach one billion dollars.

He says the picture is a very positive one for cities considering bidding in the future to hold the Olympics.

Last year's Athens Games generated a total of 1.5 billion dollars - the biggest amount ever raised by a host city.

(CRI January 18, 2005)