Beijing is renovating 11 old sports gymnasiums to make them standard venues for next summer’s Olympic Games. The number of such facilities represents one third of the 31 competition venues located in Beijing because the Games organizers want to hold ‘economical’ Olympics.

he task of renovation and extension is complicated as many of the gyms were built in the 1950s or 1960s, and they have shortcomings in firefighting devices, structure design or service equipment. And extra features are being added.

The Workers’ Stadium, built in 1959, is being turned into a football venue for the 2008 Games as you can see in our illustration. All its fire-proof materials have been renewed.
The 36-year-old Workers’ Indoor Stadium has a new air conditioning system and access facilities have been installed to meet the needs of the Olympic boxing and the Paralympic judo competitions.
The Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, a handball venue in 2008, has new electricity-powered blind windows and open-type windows installed to improve natural ventilation and lighting.
Ying Tung Natatorium, where the water polo and swimming competitions of modern pentathlon will be held now has a solar energy collection system to warm up the waters at the swimming pools. The new moisture-drawing system there can lower the humidity inside the venue.
In the Capital Indoor Stadium, a volleyball venue for the Olympics, 62 dampers have been installed and the building’s roof has been reinforced to enable it to endure an earthquake measuring as high as 8 on the Richter scale. The newly-installed residual heat exchanger there can make use of the residual heat produced by the building itself.

On July 11, 2007, Beijing Municipal CPC Committee Secretary and President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) Liu Qi paid a site visit to the projects while updated on their progress. He encourage the constructors to abide by the ‘frugality’ principle, build high-standard and quality venues, find ways of their post-Games use to ‘better serve the Olympics and the residents at large.’
Source: Beijing 2008

Some of the Olympic venues are starting to get used. If the stadium at Qinhuangdao is anything to go by the standard is very, very high. And, as perhaps you can see from the illustration, the area itself is pretty spectacular.

Coaches and staff of the four teams participating the International Women’s Soccer Invitational Tournament were all very happy with the stadium which will be a venue for the 2008 Olympics.

Thailand’s assistant team manager Khajohnkiat Nipatpokai, said, ‘It’s very beautiful, and our players all liked it very much.’

Rain had washed the pitch for two days before the first set of international matches at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Qinhuangdao, but it seemed that the drainage system worked efficiently.

Italian coach Pietro Ghedin said, ‘We did not feel any thing uncomfortable about it.’

Chana Yodprang, head coach of the Thai women’s national soccer team, said, ‘My team and I all feel great to train and compete here. The stadium is good, the pitch is good, the weather feels comfortable and the people here are so warm-hearted, which make the period of staying here come out just fantastic.’
Source: China View