The Beijing Olympics was "extraordinarily well run", an official with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) said Saturday.

"I think it will be very difficult for anyone to be a critic of anything that has happened here. So we have very tough act to follow," John Furlong, VANOC chief executive officer, said in an interview with China Daily.

"We will never forget the immense pride of the Chinese people in opening up their country with warmth, and playing host to the world," he said.

"From our perspective, this has been an exhilarating experience. I think there is a new horizon that has been set here.

"The next organizing committee will look at this and be thinking about what else they can do to raise the bar and to try to improve on this," Furlong said.

At the Beijing Games, members of the VANOC team have been observing and working in areas related to the media, accommodation for athletes and journalists, ticketing, medical services and volunteering.

"Everyone will go home with an enhanced perspective on how to make the 2010 Winter Games the best possible experience," Furlong said.

The Beijing Olympics has fostered additional interest in Vancouver 2010, he said.

During the Games, the number of visitors to our official website (www.vanco-uver2010.com) increased fivefold, while daily applications from volunteers eager to be part of the 2010 experience have tripled, he said.

"We are in the happy position of being a country where volunteering is common. We have already received applications from over a hundred countries. It's a very multicultural, ethnically diverse society," he said.

The athletes' village in Beijing is well equipped to meet the needs of athletes and team officials, including Internet access and food, as well as offering a comfortable and secure environment for training, relaxation and meeting fellow athletes, Furlong said.

Vancouver officials also said the Main Press Center and the International Broadcast Center (IBC) had worked very well.

"I think you have managed the media complexes, the village and the IBC in a very professional way.

"We will try to make sure that we are just as effective and provide the same services and facilities at the 2010 Winter Games," Furlong said.

Xinhua contributed to the story