Richard Palfreyman, press chief of the 2000 Sydney Games, media advisor to the 2004 Athens Games and MPC manager of the 2006 Turin Winter Games, the Main Press Center (MPC) where accredited journalists work during the Games, is familiar territory.

Palfreyman said he believes, however, that the Beijing MPC takes the cake.

A man makes a phone call at the Olympic press center on its opening day in Beijing July 8, 2008.

"I think this is the best MPC I've seen. It's certainly the biggest and best planned," Palfreyman, who works closely with the International Olympic Committee, said. "It's probably the best-ever laid-out MPC, and I think Beijing has just cause to be proud of it."

The Beijing Olympic MPC officially opened Tuesday to accredited media. It will, together with the International Broadcast Center (IBC), provide 14-hour services and facilities, news and information until July 25, when it will begin 24-hour operations.

The 62,000 sq m MPC provides the biggest working space in Olympic history. It is located in the central Olympic area in the northern part of the capital, close to main Olympic venues - the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. It is only a 10-minute bus ride away from the Olympic Village.

Australian Palfreyman's glowing evaluation extends beyond the brand-new MPC's convenient location to its high Internet technologies and talented personnel.

As promised by Beijing Games organizers BOCOG, in view of rapid developments in net communication technology the MPC will be installed with unprecedentedly extensive services and high technologies.

The center's equipment includes - for the first time - a plug-and-play IC card on each desk for broadband Internet access; wireless Internet is also available.