This year’s Olympics, held in Beijing, China, will be perhaps the most elaborate ever. BOCOG (The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad) has estimated that they are going to spend roughly 13 billion yen, or 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, almost all of which will come from public tax money, whereas Atlanta, U.S, the previous summer Olympics host, used 100% commercial money from ticket sales, advertising, etc. As you can see, Beijing will have to pay through the nose in order to meet the specifications, “Green Olympics, People’s Olympics, and High-tech Olympics,” as laid down by BOCOG, which will apply to material, energy, and safety efficient machinery; These specifications, set by BOCOG, will define this year’s Olympic games and the design of the venues they are held in.

The Olympic plan includes 31 competition venues, or stadiums, where the events will be held, 45 training facilities, and an Olympics village which has apartments, shops, and services for the athletes. Of the stadiums, the most impressive are the bird’s nest, (the national stadium) and the water cube, (the water sports stadium). This year’s Olympic Torch relay will also be amazing.

Competition Venues

Obtained from http://www.tropolism.com/watercube_027_m.jpg

The most impressive of the 31 venues is the “Bird’s Nest.” Named for its bird’s-nest-like structure of steel where each steel rod supports its neighboring rods, this stadium will host the opening and closing games, some track athletics, the special Olympics, the Paralympics, and soccer, or as the English call it, football. The stadium, which cost 486 billion U.S. dollars to build, required 110,000 tons of pure-Chinese steel to build, although the main body only weighs 42,000 tons. Bringing in the locally mined steel will save Beijing money, help the economy, and cut down on carbon emissions, a form of ozone pollution, by not having to transport supplies over long distances on trucks and barges, which produce lots of diesel fumes. The nest takes up an area of 258,000 square meters, is 333 meters long, 294 meters wide, and 69 meters tall. The stadium holds 91,000 people, but also holds 11,000 extra temporary seats, according to the official website of the “Bird Nest”.

The stadium, although it looks as though water would soak it and the spectators within, it has a state-of-the-art, semi-transparent membrane which waterproofs the whole thing. Among other safety measures, it has installed an unsurpassed fire prevention and alert system, a high-tech, well planned evacuation route, and an architectural strength great enough to surpass an eight-magnitude earthquake and live for 100 years.

The “plinth” or area around the “Nest” is a beautiful lattice of slate pathways that surround the stadium. The walkways also include extravagant art displays just off of the trails: sunken gardens, stone squares, bamboo orchards, mineral hillscapes, and alternate pathways. It is perfect for the exciting entrance to the stadium or for a relaxing stroll in the evening. Below the “Nest” is a five star shopping facility in the lobby of the stadium which includes 80 rooms, and a four star hotel which contains a restaurant. There is also another high end restaurant with stunning views. As well as that, they have all forms of entertainment, and even shops and retail booths. Computers are used to maintain a therapeutic environment, which is satisfactory to everyone.

The “Water Cube,” or 143.2 million dollar National Aquatics Center of the Beijing Olympics, is the indoor water sports arena where the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo games will be held. Designed to look like soap-bubbles and the way they conform to fit in small places, this enormous cube is also modeled after the rectangular Chinese architecture that is seen in the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Not only that, but its stunning architecture has also won many awards from institutions like Popular Science and Venice Biennial.

Although the cube may look like a fragile glass house, it is actually made out of durable Teflon-like plastic panes that are not only stronger, but “greener” than the average glass. By this I mean that these plastic panels conserve energy and that it is materials like these that keep the planet green with life. The panes allow more solar heat to enter the building than glass, saving 30 percent in heating costs. The sheets act as excellent insulators, as well. As if that wasn’t enough, on top of the cube, advanced mechanisms collect up to 10,000 gallons of precipitation per year, and they recycle 80 percent of all water being used per year.

The swimming structure is one of the largest in the world, and it has a depth of 13 meters. The temperature of the water will be roughly 83 degrees Fahrenheit, which is supposedly the best temperature for swimmers possible. The arena will hold 17,000 spectators. After the Olympics, the cube will be turned into a residential swimming center for recreation. Only a third of the cube is actually dedicated to the pool; there will also be a tennis court, a water slide, and a café.

National Indoor Stadium-One of the Main stadiums, this venue hosts artistic gymnastics, trampoline, and handball events. The stadium is indoors and it holds a crowd of 19,000 spectators. It has an area of 809,000 square meters. Afterwards, the stadium will be used as a competitive sports arena and as an exercising facility.

Beijing Shooting Range Hall- This hall, as it is called, will host the qualifying rounds and finals of eleven shooting events, including the 10, 25, and 50 meter events. It will also host a portion of the Paralympic games. Some of the facilities built into this hall include shooting qualification halls, the finals hall, permanent bullet depot, and an Armed Police Room. Before the games begin, a shooting museum will be set up. Afterwards, the hall will be used as a training venue for the top two teams, a base of national defense education, promotion of shooting activity among common people, and as a public shooting gallery. The hall’s area is 45,645 square meters, and it holds 9,000 viewers.

Laoshan Velodrome- This venue will be used as a Velodrome, which is bicycle racing on a track. The track is 250 meters long and it holds 6,000 spectators. However, after the games, seats may be reduced to 3,500 spectators. At this point, the track will be used for competitive cycling, and the grounds will be used for body shaping, leisure, recreation and catering services.

Wukesong Indoor Stadium- This stadium, which will be used for all phases of the basketball events, holds an area of 63,000 square meters, and it takes up a capacity of 18,000 spectators. Afterwards, it will be used as a recreational center for all nearby residents.

China Agricultural University Stadium- The wrestling events will be held here, indoors. The stadium has an area of 23,950 square meters and a capacity that will go from 8,000 to 6,000 after the games. When the games end students from the China Agricultural University will use it as a sports and leisure center.

Shunyi Olympic Rowing/Canoeing Park- This venue will host the boating events during the games. Largely, it is a system of manmade rivers and lakes fed by the Chaobai River. Seeing as it is a park, it has no defined area or capacity.

University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium- Martial arts will be held at this “dojo” in the Olympics. The center will be turned into a training facility where aerobic, aquatic, and endurance training will be performed. There are 8,024 seats, 3,956 of which are temporary.

Peking University Gymnasium- This venue will hold the interesting sport of table tennis, including the men and women’s double and singles. The stadium will also encompass handball, badminton, and indoor volleyball. Afterwards the city will exploit the stadium as a center for physical health and strength. The stadium has an area of 26,900 square meters and holds 8,000 seats.

Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium- Just off the university campus, this venue’s list of games will be dominated by badminton and rhythmic gymnastics. Eventually the sports ground will be altered into a training ground for Chinese Badminton teams. By then, its area will be 22,269 square meters, and its capacity will be reduced from 9,000 to 7,500 spectators.

Olympic Sports Centre stadium- The amazing pentathletes will use this structure to compete in. It is being renovated from a soccer pitch to a pentathlon field. The venue will have an area of 37,000 square meters, or 17,000 square meters larger than the current vicinity. The capacity of the stadium is 40,000 spectators.

Workers’ Stadium- The worker’s stadium was built in 1959 and has to undergo only minor changes in structure to be prepared for the games. It will host several rounds of soccer and some football events. It holds 72,000 spectators.

Laoshan Mountain Bike Course- This race course venue is currently being revamped and remodeled for the games. For those who don’t know, mountain biking is bicycling on mountainous rocky terrain. It does not necessarily involve climbing a mountain, but it usually does involve somewhat technical terrain in which large wheeled bikes with air shocks are used. This course is a 6.2 kilometers in diameter and is for the most part circular. It is located in a building taking up an area of 8,275 square meters and holding 2,000 spectators. After the games, it will be open to the public.

Fengtai Softball Field- This venue, if you can’t see clearly from its name, will host all softball events during the games. It was previously built, and just needed a quick renovation, which explains why it was the first venue to be completed in the games. The compound boasts two competition fields, a training field, and two areas for warming up in. It takes up an area15,570 square meters and holds 16,500 fans.

Fencing gymnasium- This venue is one of the few temporary venues in Beijing. In building temporary recyclable venues, Beijing will save space as well as materials. It has an area of 270,000 square meters.

The Olympic Village- When you think of a room in the Olympic village for the 2008 summer Olympics held in Beijing, nothing less than a five star hotel penthouse suite comes to mind. This resting place for the athletes will cater and serve to their every need. Each competitor will receive greeting/birthday cards upon arrival, and/or upon their birthdays. A commercial area will provide services such as banks, shops, and cafés, and entertaining shows, such as martial-arts demonstrations and plays, are also provided.

The residential district, where 205 athletes and coaches will bunk, consists of 22 buildings, including rooms, dining halls, and other assorted resident’s centers. Each room allows athletes to surf the internet with complimentary broadband web access, has an infrared alarm system, and finger-print scanning locks.

Fifty percent of the entire village is allowed for “green” energy systems. Solar power lights the streets. A precipitation collection system saves several hundred gallons of water. Reclaimed water will be heated with solar-thermal warmth, saving up to 60 percent of what would be paid on an electric bill. As well as all that, most materials used are environmentally safe or produced in low-emission factories.

The Olympic Relay- As Most of you know, the Olympic relay is the event that kicks off the Olympics every year. In this event, a relay is started in which the Olympic torch is carried around the world. At some points, divers carry the torch under water. The Olympic relay will soar to new heights this year—literally! The relay team will climb to the highest peak in the world, Mt. Qomolangma. Not only that, but the team will travel to every continent making stops at most major cities. Spanning from March 24, 2008, to August 8, 2008, and travel a distance of 137,000 kilometers. WOW!

Good Luck Beijing- The Good Luck Beijing games were a set of “good luck events” held at Beijing in the facilities that were, at that time, currently built. They are, in a way, an un-official test of the venues. They went well, and it would appear that all of the venues will meet the requirements set by the branch of the IOC (international Olympic committee) in charge of events.

Medals of Jade- The 2008 Olympic Medals this year will be unlike those of previous years. How, you may ask? This year each medal, gold, silver, and bronze, will be implanted with a piece of Chinese, high quality jade. The jade, which will be implanted on the back of each medal, is mined from Kunlun Mountain, renowned for its jade by jewelers across the globe. Each piece is 7millimeters in diameter and range from 3.5 to 4 millimeters in thickness.

Conclusion- This year’s Olympics will set itself apart from all others. There are many new venues being constructed as opposed to 1948 in London, England when only one gymnasium was built. China, although going through some tough times, will triumph and host a great Olympic Games just like in Las Angeles, U.S. in 1932 during the depression. The IOC and the chairmen of the committee made a wise choice when they made the decision to let Beijing host the Olympics.

Sources

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Pasternack, Alex. "The Water Cube, Bubble-Clad Olympic Wonder." Tree Hugger. 28 Jan 2008. Discovery Communications. 10 Feb 2008 <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/the_water_cube.php>.

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Last modified: 04/02/08