Janusz Tatera, the counselor from the embassy of the Republic of Poland, and his family yesterday became the first foreigners to sign up for the "Olympic Families Tour Beijing" competition.

Organized by the Beijing Olympic committee, the web- based campaign is offering 10 families (five from China and five from overseas) the chance to win an Olympic-themed tour of the capital and its three co-host cities next summer.

"We're very happy to take part in this event," Tatera said. "The family is very important in Chinese society, as it is in Poland and many other countries."

The counsellor is a former secretary-general of Poland's Olympic Committee a post he held for eight years and has attended five previous Olympics.

With the campaign now up and running, families from around the world are being invited to log on to www.beijing2008.com (in English and Chinese) and register for the chance to win a trip to Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, said: "We will continue to encourage people to participate in the Olympics through various activities.

"We hope foreign families will get to know China and Beijing through the 'Olympic Families Tour Beijing' campaign and the interactive programs with Chinese families, which reflect the slogan, 'One World, One Dream'," he said.

To register for the competition, families must first answer a series of questions on one of the four Olympic cities and then play an online football game.

After that they must try to win votes from visitors to the site by using pictures and text to show their passion for the Olympics.

The top 50 families from both the Chinese and English versions of the site will then take part in an Olympic blog, which will cover topics chosen by the organizing committee. The public will then be invited to vote for their favourites, either online or via mobile phone, with the winners named at the end of June.

The 10 successful families will visit China from August 8-16 to watch the "Good Luck Beijing" sports events, including the 2007 Qingdao International Regatta, and visit Olympic venues and historical sites.