(BEIJING, July 15) -- The 5th Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival drew to a close with a rousing chorus of an Olympic song honoring Games volunteers Sunday evening, here in the Olympic City.

This year´s festival is the last one prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad next August 2008 and followed the mantra of "One World One Dream -- I participate, I contribute, and I enjoy" which integrated sport with culture.

The gala event brought together local pop stars and artists and among the 20 plus scheduled activities were large sport and cultural activities, Olympic Cultural Squares, films, forums, exhibitions, open-air concerts, and cultural activities for persons with a disability and the youth.

Present at the closing ceremony were:

-- Liu Qi, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee, and President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympaid (BOCOG);

-- Chen Zhili, State Councilor and BOCOG First Vice-President;

-- Sun Jiazheng, Minister of Culture, and

-- Yang Yuanyuan, Minister of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China.

Other officials from the central and municipal governments, as well as BOCOG, also attended the concluding ceremony.