National Aquatics Center of China – the Water Cube – may have a new operator, China Business News (CBN) reports.

Insiders told journalists that a private company based in southwest China's Sichuan Province was actively making contact for the right to run the Water Cube.

The inquiring company is Chengdu Tianyou (Group) Limited Company. Tianyou, established in 1992, is one of the largest privately run tourism investment companies in China's western region. The group's gross asset exceeds 1.4 billion yuan (US$210.83 million).

The Water Cube is currently operated by Beijing National Aquatics Center Company, a full-funded subsidiary under Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Company (BSAM).

After the Beijing Olympics, the marketization of Olympic venues poses an imminent problem for the authority. To better serve the public, the Water Cube also underwent conversions to reduce the competition function while increasing the entertaining function. Being the largest and most comprehensive indoor water park in Beijing, the Water Cube's potential profitability could be astronomical.

Tianyou Group plans to have its affiliated agency – China Dead Sea Company – to make the actual operation, while BSAM will account for 30 percent in the venue's new boss.

For more information, please consult the original coverage in Chinese at:

http://www.china-cbn.com/s/n/000004/20090630/000000119271.shtml

(China.org.cn by Maverick Chen, June 30, 2009)