The Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Shunyi Olympic
Rowing-Canoeing Park became the first two venues for the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games to be handed over to the event's organizers on
Saturday.
Located in Shijingshan District in western Beijing, the Beijing
Shooting Range Hall will host all 10 Olympic shooting events.
Covering 7.81 hectares, the venue has 8,600 seats, with 6,218 in
the qualification halls and the rest in the finals hall.
Officials said the venue will not only serve the needs of the
Olympics, but is also qualified to host high-level international
shooting events, such as the World Cup series and the World
Championships. After the Games, it will serve as a world-class
training hall for the national team and a base for training young
shooters.
The national shooting team has been training in the new venue
since last Monday. Wang Yifu, the team's head coach, described the
venue as "good, very good".
Meanwhile, the Beijing Olympic rowing and canoeing venue was
completed in northeastern Beijing's Shunyi District.
Covering 31,850 sq m, it is the largest Beijing Olympic Games
venue in terms of surface area. It will host rowing, canoeing,
kayaking and marathon swimming events during the Games.
The park has a seating capacity of 3,700, with 1,200 permanent
seats and 2,500 temporary ones.
It is the first venue in the world to have both flat and slalom
areas.
"The wind speed is OK here and the water is very clean and
flat," said Ma Liancheng, a member of a Beijing rowing team. "The
environment surrounding the course is also very beautiful."
After the Olympic Games, the venue will be converted into a
resort for swimming and recreation - the largest of its kind in the
northeastern part of Beijing.
(China Daily July 30, 2007)