The Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) has launched a website that will provide news updates on the performances of the Pacific Island athletes at the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China, from Aug. 8-24.

Close to 70 athletes from 15 Pacific Island NOCs will be participating in the Beijing Games, the Suva-based Pacnews regional news agency reported on Monday.

The ONOC official Dennis Miller said Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are taking part in their first ever Olympic Games and there is bound to be great interest in their athletes' backgrounds and performances.

Teams are now almost finalized and athletes are in their final preparation stages, either in their home country or in various countries around the world, he added.

The ONOC Secretariat staff based in the Olympic Village will be proving regular news updates on the village and on the competition fields.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2008)