Wang Wei bounces into the Olympic bid headquarters in Beijing not looking at all like someone who is carrying the hopes of 1.2 billion people on his shoulders. The man with the unenviable task of leading China's campaign to host the 2008 Olympic Games grins, offers a firm handshake, and announces he wants to visit Dublin some day, the birthplace of one of his favourite writers, James Joyce.

While the General Secretary of the Beijing Olympic Games Bid Committee (BOBICO) appears calm and relaxed, the same cannot be said for his staff who are running frantically around the Olympic bid nerve centre on the sixth floor of the Xinqiao Hotel.

A total of 70 people have been based here since September 1999, doing everything possible to convince the international community that Beijing, and China, is ready to host the world's greatest sporting event. They have put their heart and souls into the effort. A big electronic timer stands in the office, counting down the days to July 13th when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the successful host city at a ceremony in Moscow.

Wang Wei is the first to admit that his background as an English lecturer does not exactly qualify him to bring China its much sought after Olympic prize. "But life can take some funny turns," he muses from Tianjin, a city two hours north of Beijing.

Wang Wei nurtured his love of English by doing a masters in literature in New Jersey State University between 1984-1986.

"I read a lot of English and American authors including James Joyce, one of my favourites. One of his most impressive stories is The Dead. But I find Ulysses difficult. It is too thick. I got scared away!

"Every time I got half-way through I would drop it. But I have read many critical essays to help me understand it."

Wang Wei also loves Jonathan Swift, the master of satire. "I have been away from literary work for years and I do miss it. I miss the smell of books," he says.

After getting his masters, Wang Wei returned to China where he taught English in the Capital Normal University in Beijing. He was promoted to vice-president of the university, and from there went on to become the deputy director of the Bureau for Higher Education.

His next position was Secretary General of the Beijing Education Commission, a post he held until he got one of the top jobs in Beijing - secretary-general of the Beijing Municipality. Two years ago he was asked to take over as secretary general of the Beijing Olympic Games Bid Committee.

Beijing was beaten by Sydney in the contest to host the 2000 Games by an agonising two votes back in 1993. The pain of that rejection has not been forgotten and Wang Wei remembers it well. "I watched the decision on TV and was so disappointed. I really thought if Beijing had been given the chance it could have proven to the world it was capable of change. People would have loved it."

Getting the Olympics is Beijing's chance to be recognised as a serious player on the world stage, not just in sport, but politically and economically as well, says Wang Wei.

"Getting the games will mark a further step in our journey to open up our country. In the past 20 years China has been striving to open to the whole world, to co-operate and to be integrated into the international community, not only economically but also socially.

"If we get the Olympic Games the whole world will be focused on Beijing and on China for 16 days. The world will have the opportunity to get a fresh look at the country. With that I think a lot of opportunities will come to the city and to China."

Wang Wei finds it frustrating that the international community still has an old-fashioned impression of China.

"Everyone I meet from outside the country who has visited says it is so different from what they expected and from what they read in the papers or saw in the movies. They were very impressed."

On the face of it, Beijing appears to be cruising to Olympic victory, despite human rights objections and the fact that some Chinese stadiums only exist as computer graphics. Seasoned Olympic observers believe it would be a huge surprise if China failed to win the vote at the deciding meeting in Moscow next month.

But Wang Wei is not taking anything for granted. While "quietly confident", he says the most important thing now for BOBICO is the presentation to the 126 IOC delegates in Moscow before they cast their votes on where the 2008 Olympics will be held.

"We have 45 minutes to show the world how good we are and what kind of games we will stage. We are going to use every opportunity in the next few weeks also to promote ourselves. We want to convince the world that Beijing is ready and Beijing is determined to stage the games."

Are you contemplating defeat at all? "At this stage I would rather look ahead and to try to perfect every aspect of our bid. We note from the IOC evaluation report that we have some challenges to overcome in the area of the environment and transport. We have to convince IOC delegates in Moscow these will not be a problem in 2008."

Apart from the concerns about the environment and transport, and the fact that many of the Olympic facilities have yet to be built, the IOC evaluation committee report was very positive. It said that a Beijing Games would leave a "unique legacy to China and to sport".

While it noted that the "process and pace of change taking place in China and Beijing and the possible challenges caused by population and economic growth in the period leading up to 2008," it said it was "confident" the challenges could be met.

Wang Wei is not concerned about the fact that none of the main Olympic stadiums have yet been built. Because China will be building late, the facilities will be state-of-the-art and the best in the world.

More than $10 billion will be spent on constructing sports grounds, and in total China will invest $150 billion on preparing Beijing and China for the Games. This includes $12.2 billion to be spent on improving the environment. The money, says Wang Wei, will come from the state budget, revenue generated from the city, World Bank loans and joint venture projects.

"We will be getting involved in joint venture projects with foreign companies as much as possible. That will be a reflection of the confidence of foreign companies in the city."

The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre helped to derail Beijing's bid for the 2000 Games. Last March US lawmakers asked the IOC to reject the Beijing bid due to its human rights record. In recent months China has been criticised by Amnesty International for its crackdown on Falun Gong, claiming hundreds of members have been thrown into detention camps. Wang Wei shrugs off the criticism of China's human rights record. "These are old stories." he says.

On Falun Gong and Tibet, he challenges anyone who has doubts to come to China. "Be immersed with our people, feel our people's reaction about Falun Gong. Come to Tibet to talk with Tibetan people and see what life is like there."

He says he was in Tibet twice when he was Secretary General of the Beijing Education Commission. "I think as time goes on more and more people will understand the reality. A lot of Tibetan people support our bid."

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dali Lama, recently said China should be allowed stage the 2008 Games only if the award would advance the cause of human rights. "I don't think those comments were totally negative and could be interpreted either way," says Wang Wei.

When asked about freedom of the press in China, and recent heavy censorship, Wang Wei says: "I just don't believe that". When it was pointed out to him that recently articles on China were cut out of current affairs magazines and newspapers he appeared surprised: "Really?" So what will it be like for the thousands of journalists all over the world who would come to China cover the games? "In our bid report we promised that journalists would be free to report on anything and that is and will always be the position."

Anything could happen in the next three weeks and while Beijing appears to be the hot favourite at this point, things can change in the days before a decision. Wang Wei recalls that Rome was favourite in the 2004 race in 1997, but was overtaken by Athens in the final weeks. In 1993, Beijing was the clear favourite but was beaten by Sydney.

He admits he is hoping there will be no more spy plane type crises in the run-up to July 13th. The last thing he wants is to have the spotlight on China for the wrong reasons. "Fingers crossed I hope for the best international environment for our bid."

China's biggest rivals are Paris and Toronto, cities which also received highly favourable reviews from the IOC evaluation committee. The other two contestants making up the quintet of cities vying for the Games, Osaka and Istanbul, have little prospect of emerging as winners.

Paris scored for its proposed use of "existing facilities mainly in the centre of one of the world's most recognised cities." That presented the Olympic movement with "an attractive option," the report said.

Toronto won plaudits for its compact sports concept based on a unique site adjacent to the city centre "with good transport links".

According to Wang Wei, both cities are very strong and have their own pluses and minuses. "Even Osaka has its own strengths. You never know what will happen. Nothing should be taken for granted until the announcement is made."

He does not want to comment on the fact that the head of the Paris bid is being questioned by police in relation to alleged money laundering offences. "I would rather concentrate on our own bid. I don't think this will affect the Paris bid. This is a fair competition."

There is no escaping the Olympic bid in Beijing. It hits you everywhere you go. Sentiment is on the side of the Games with a Gallup poll conducted by BOBICO showing 94 per cent support for the Games among the public.

Nightly variety shows feature thousands of flag-waving youths and local pop stars whipping up emotional support for the bid. Tonight, 30,000 people will pay from between $280 and $1,700 to hear the world's three greatest tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, singing in support of the bid at the Forbidden City.

If the unthinkable happens and Beijing is not awarded the Olympics, will China be a good loser? "Sportsmanship, right?" says Wang Wei. "I think people will be very disappointed. You can tell and feel that they genuinely want the games. But they will not turn this into a kind of epic thing if we are unsuccessful.

"I think if Beijing does not get the games it will be because some people do not understand our city and our country as much as they should. I believe the biggest challenge for us in the bid is the lack of understanding of China."

After Beijing lost out to Sydney in 1993, there were reports that several heads rolled as a result. Wang Wei's position as secretary general of the Beijing municipality has already been filled, he revealed.

"So you can see I have a special interest in Beijing being successful!" he laughs. "I am not too worried. If something undesirable does happen, I think I will have a lot of opportunities to work elsewhere. It will not be a problem." Then he stops for a moment, smiles and says: "I can always go back to English literature. And James Joyce!"