Shanghai Daily news

Stadiums and hotels catering for Special Olympic delegations and athletes were told yesterday to standardize their signs.

The Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision has recently checked 30 stadiums and 95 hotels, and found 20 percent of these venues were not up to standard. It wants everything fixed by September 10.

Problems included hotels and stadiums having English and Chinese signs at exits, inquiry desks and bathrooms but displaying no international symbols. In some cases the signs were hard to find, as well.

For example, the Songjiang Stadium, which will stage soccer during the 2007 Special Olympic Summer Games, does not have symbols showing the way to clinics or emergency exits.

"Not every athlete is from an English speaking country and they are very likely to get lost when interpreters are not with them," said Zhou Liangcai, an official of the bureau. "Therefore signs with symbols are necessary."

Signs that do not meet the standard may not only cause confusion but could also be a hazard if there was an emergency, said the bureau.

"Most Special Olympic athletes are visiting the city for the first time and they need clear and eye-catching signs to show them around unfamiliar places," said Zhou.

The sign problem does not just apply to Special Olympic stadiums and hotels but also other facilities in the city.

"To take the Shanghai South Railway Station for example, the traffic signs there for the Metro lines, railway and long-distance buses are not standardized and cause passengers a good deal of trouble," said Zhou.