Shanghai Daily news

An official delegation from soccer's world governing body FIFA arrived in town on Sunday for a two-day inspection tour of the city's preparations for the 2007 Women's World Cup.
Shanghai is one of the five Chinese cities designated as venue for the blue-riband event next year, along with Wuhan, Tianjin, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
The 16-nation tournament will open on September 10 at the 35,000-seat Hongkou Stadium, home of Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, with the final at the same arena on September 30.
The stadium, along with other related facilities, will be subject to scrutiny and some advise by the delegates, led by Alexander Klosterkemper, FIFA's head of senior events execution.
With less than 12 months to go until kick-off, the local World Cup organizing committee is currently fine-tuning its preparations. By drawing upon their immense experience in this area - China was due to host the 2003 edition before FIFA moved the tournament to the US due to the SARS outbreak - the Shanghai hosts are pulling out all stops to ensure the event is a success.
The local organizers have appointed Sun Wen, a former FIFA women's player of the year and one of the most visible celebrity athletes in China, as the image ambassador for the event's Shanghai section. Volunteer recruitment has also gathered pace with more than 500 applicants already enrolled to provide various services during the extravaganza.