Bird's Nest Delay
Construction at the National Stadium in Beijing will finish at the end of April instead of the end of March, according to a Beijing 2008 executive vice president. The delay means the stadium would be finished after a scheduled athletics test event, but the federation isstill optimistic about testing the venue. "The Bird's Nest will be the last but the best venue at the Beijing Games," says BOCOG vice president Jiang Xiaoyu. (Getty Images)
Building was delayed by ceremony works inside the stadium, Jiang Xiaoyu tells Chinese media.
The 2008 International Association of Athletics Federations Race Walking Challenge event, scheduled for April 18 and 19, is set to be the first event in the stadium.
IAAF has not heard of any pending dificulties with the event, spokesman Nick Davies tells Around the Rings.
"The Race Walking Challenge will take place outside the stadium with the track only partially used so even if the stadium will not be finished, the track may be available," he says.
The federation is most interested in testing the circuit outside the stadium and looking at the set-up of the facilities, Davies adds.
Beijing Briefs…
The Chinese government is downplaying a bus hijacking from earlier this week. A lone man commandeered the bus carrying Australian tourists in Xi'an, The terracotta army, more than 2,000 years old, draws a large number of tourists to the Xi'an area, scene of this week’s bus hijacking. freeing nine hostages, but holding onto one during negotiations with police. The hijacker eventually was shot and killed by the police.
"Especially on the occasion of the Beijing Olympics, there will be a great number of foreign tourists here and we will definitely take more effective measures in this regard," China foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said during regular media remarks on Mar. 6.
"I don't view this case as an embarrassment to China. Such things happen in every country and what matters is how you handle it," he added.
Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband says it will be good for athletes if the International Olympic Committee makes a statement on human rights in China. The Dutch freestyle swimming specialist wrote an appeal to Rogge in a column in De Telegraaf newspaper on Mar. 5. "This would allow athletes to refer to the position of the IOC when asked for their own opinion on this sensitive issue," the column reads.
Testing begins soon on Beijing subway line 10, which includes the Olympic spur, according to Chinese media. More than 500 staff have already been trained in security, operations, professionalism and etiquette.
Written by Maggie Lee
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