Beijing Olympic venues under construction are not suitable for
visiting at the moment, Xu Bo, the Beijing 2008 Construction
Department head said in a broadcast interview yesterday.
"Taking visitors' safety into consideration it is not likely
citizens will be able to visit the incomplete Olympic venues during
the construction period," Xu said.
Xu thanked the people for their interest in the Olympics and
Olympic venue construction, then solicited support and
understanding for this 'informal tourism warning'.
"There are large-scale pieces of equipment being used day and
night and vehicles constantly going in and out of the construction
sites," he said. "Because of this, it's not a good time to visit
for the sake of safety."
He also suggested citizens log on to the Olympic construction
department website (www. bj2008.gov.cn) if they want to know the
latest news on the Olympic venues construction.
Construction started on a number of Olympic venues over the past
year including the National Stadium or "Bird's Nest" and the
National Swimming Center or "Water Cube".
"More than 20 Olympic test events held during the last half of
this year will test the operation and service of the Olympic venues
which will be completed at that time, " Xu said. "Thus, the design
and the electrical equipment installation should all be finished on
schedule," he said.
(China Daily February 7, 2007)