The construction of the National Stadium, the main stadium of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, will begin on December 24, the stadium's operator announced on Friday.
The Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co. Ltd., the official operator of the National Stadium, told a press conference Friday that they have made concrete plans and timetable to guarantee "the construction work to start as scheduled."
An international design contest was held last December and 14 design enterprises from home and abroad had submitted bids. Three designs will be picked to compete for the final honor.
The 80,000-seat National Stadium, the site of many of the Olympic events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, will be located in the Olympic Green.
(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2003)
