Construction of Beijing's centerpiece venue for the 2008 Olympics has resumed, said the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) on Tuesday.

The National Stadium, the shape of which has been likened to a bird's nest, will host track and field events as well as the Games' opening and closing ceremonies.

Work on the stadium started in December 2003, but was suspended in July this year.

According to China Daily, this was due to safety concerns after the vaulted roof of a new passenger terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport collapsed in May, killing four.

Budget cuts were announced in August, and the stadium was redesigned to reduce costs from about 3.9 billion yuan (US$469.9 million) to about 2.3 billion yuan (US$277.1 million). The use of steel will be slashed from 136,000 tons to 53,000 tons, saving up to 800 million yuan (US$96.4 million).

BOCOG's press release on Tuesday said the layout of the stadium has been optimized to integrate greater safety, quality, function and efficiency of time and cost.

The revamp of the design was completed last month and basically maintains the "bird's nest" design, though a roof that could be opened and closed has been eliminated.

(China Daily December 29, 2004)