A 12-square-kilometer (4.6-square-mile) Olympic park is the centerpiece of an ambitious construction program Beijing has vowed to undertake if its bid to host the 2008 Games is successful.

The park will be located in the northern suburbs of Beijing, eight kilometers from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square which mark the center of the capital, and within relatively easy reach from the international airport.

China has invited local and foreign architects to suggest ideas for a stadium that will form the center of the park and will be able to hold 80,000 people.

Dozens of architects have already reacted, submitting sketches of the planned stadium to the Chinese Olympic Committee.

The park will contain extensive green areas and a number of artificial lakes, in an apparent attempt to emphasize the environmental mindset of the Chinese authorities.

It will have five gymnasiums, an Olympic village, several hotels, an exhibition park and media and business centers.

The main stadium is the intended venue of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games as well as major athletics events.

Other Olympic competitions expected to take place inside the park include swimming, gymnastics, table tennis, hockey, fencing, tennis, wrestling, handball and badminton.

The planned Olympic park is separated by Beijing's fourth ring road from the national Olympic center which was constructed for the Asian Games in 1990 and would provide training facilities for the athletes in 2008.

The other Olympic disciplines will be located to various locations in western Beijing where the facilities will either be renovated or built from scratch.

Shooting and archery will be held at the Beijing Shooting and Archery Center, cycling at the Laoshan stadium, baseball at Fengtai, and basketball at a planned stadium at Wukesong.

Tsinghua University will house weight lifting competitions, while taekwondo and judo will take place at the Beijing Teachers College of Physical Education.

Canoe/kayak, rowing and equestrian will take place further north, not far from the Great Wall.

The soccer finals as well as the boxing matches will be located at the Workers' Stadium.

The initial soccer matches will take place in a range of Chinese cities, including Shanghai in the east, Shenyang in the northeast, as well as Qinhuangdao and Tianjin in the north.

The sailing competitions will be located in the large port city of Qingdao on the east coast of China.

For triathlon, Beijing has proposed having part of the Marathon pass around Tiananmen Square, which has also been suggested as a venue for beach volleyball.

(Eastday 02/20/01)