Beijing's Olympic venues will open to tourists during the week-long
National Day holiday beginning Oct. 1, an official said yesterday.
Venues, including the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium and the "Water Cube"
National Aquatics Center, would be open to the public as they appeared during
the Games, said Vice Mayor Chen Gang.
Plans were being drawn up for the continued use of the facilities, he said.
An aquatic amusement park project would start in the "Water Cube" at the end
of the year, he said, without elaborating.
So far, 80 percent of the media village flats had been sold, and buyers could
move in by the end of the year.
Seventy percent of the Olympic village flats had been sold before the Games,
and the buyers could move in during the first half of next year.
The National Convention Center, which served as the venue for fencing, the
International Broadcast Center and the Main Press Center, would be remodeled for
conference and exhibition use by later next year.
Nine convention and exhibition events had been contracted and another 46 were
in negotiation.
