Bird's Nest -- China's new Olympic National Stadium, opens its door for the
first time to international media.
BEIJING, CHINA (APRIL 16, 2008) (REUTERS -
China's main Olympic stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest
opened its doors to the international media for the first time on Wednesday
(April 16).
The iconic 3.5 billion yuan (500.2 million U.S. dollars) arena, the
centrepiece of the Beijing Olympics took more than four years to build.
Construction started in December 2003 and completed 14 weeks behind schedule.
It will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics and
soccer finals during the Aug. 8-24 Summer Games.
With 114 days to go until the opening ceremony, the finishing touches
still need to be done. Workers painted lines on the running track and some of
the 91,000 seats had yet to be fixed in place.
A large band of volunteers, mostly university students, said they were
very proud to be granted the opportunity to work in the stadium.
"This is my first time in the stadium, and I feel very proud to
have the opportunity to witness our Olympics with my own eyes. I hope the
Games will be successful," said Li Qian, a student from China's renowned
Peking University said.
From the inside, the interwoven steel structure that gives the stadium
its nickname was largely hidden by a membrane. The design will keep the rain
off and prevent unsightly shadows from ruining television pictures on sunny
days.
The roof that was in the original design was cut out of plans in 2004 as
a cost-cutting measure. One of the chief engineers of the Bird's Nest Stadium
Michael Kwok said the change would not affect the use of the stadium.
"It would be so nice to have a retractable roof, but when you also
consider how often that roof may be used, and find the balance between the
cost and effectiveness of such a system, because there are many things that
have retractable roofs but when you look at how often it is being used, then
the extra cost of the roof which can be opened and closed might not be
justified," Michael Kwok said.
The Beijing meteorological office is also experimenting with
rain-prevention measures to stop wet weather from spoiling the opening
ceremony.
The iconic Olympic venue attracted hundreds of Chinese tourists from all
over the country, who are enthusiastic about the upcoming Games.
"The Bird's Nest is a great symbol for our Olympics. This is my
first time seeing the stadium physically. Before this, I only saw it on
pictures. I feel quite good," said Shen Hong, a tourist from Shanghai
said.
"I came all the way from Shanghai to see the Bird's Nest. It is so
great and so beautiful. Inside the stadium, it must be even more beautiful,
first-class," said Ms. Huang, a tourist from the financial hub
Shanghai.
The stadium was supposed to have been finished along with the other
venues by the end of 2007 but the completion date was first postponed to the
end of March and then to the middle of April.
Organisers said there is still a lot of preparation needed to be done
in the stadium for what is expected to be a lavish opening ceremony on the
evening of August.
It was the only significant delay in a building programme that presented
a clear contrast with the last Summer Games in Athens, where the last licks of
paint were being applied only days before the Games began.
The first event to take place at the stadium is the IAAF men's 20-km
walking test event on Friday (April 18). Over the weekend, there will be a
Good Luck Beijing marathon will also finish at the Bird's Nest.
An athletics test event from May 22-25 will be the first thorough test
of the stadium's ability to host top level track and field events.
After the Games, an auction will be held for naming rights that could
result in a foreign company attaching its brand to the the stadium.
