Celine Dion will compose a song for the Beijing Olympic Games and debut it at her maiden concert in the city in April.

The Canadian singer's "Taking Ch

ances World Tour 2008" will hit Beijing on April 13 with a perfromance at the Workers' Stadium in Sanlitun. It forms part of a series of Olympic celebrations by Games organizers BOCOG.

"I'm looking forward to my first-ever concert on the Chinese mainland," Dion said via video link-up at this week's press conference.

Having won five Grammy Awards, 20 Junos, 39 Felix awards and seven World Music Awards, Dion is also no newcomer to the world of sport. She sang "The Power of the Dream" as the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Games.

"Dion performed a great song for the 1996 Games and I hope there will be more like it in Beijing," said Kan Ke, deputy director of BOCOG's Culture and Ceremonies Department.

The Olympic Songs Solicitation Office has collected over 30 musical works from national and international composers so far.

Tickets for Dion's concert went on sale Wednesday. Emmaticketmaster, which is taking charge of all ticketing affairs, can be reached by logging on to www.emma.cn or by calling its hotline on 400-707-9999.

The first ticket, which bears the same number as the start date of the Beijing Games (20080808), was presented to former national gymnast Sang Lan at the press conference.

Sang severely injured her spine at the Goodwill Games in Long Island in 1998 and became good friends with Dion during her convalescence in the United States.