Beijing Olympic venues under construction are not suitable for visiting at the moment, Xu Bo, the Beijing 2008 Construction Department head said in a broadcast interview yesterday.

 

"Taking visitors' safety into consideration it is not likely citizens will be able to visit the incomplete Olympic venues during the construction period," Xu said.

 

Xu thanked the people for their interest in the Olympics and Olympic venue construction, then solicited support and understanding for this 'informal tourism warning'.

 

"There are large-scale pieces of equipment being used day and night and vehicles constantly going in and out of the construction sites," he said. "Because of this, it's not a good time to visit for the sake of safety."

 

He also suggested citizens log on to the Olympic construction department website (www. bj2008.gov.cn) if they want to know the latest news on the Olympic venues construction.

 

Construction started on a number of Olympic venues over the past year including the National Stadium or "Bird's Nest" and the National Swimming Center or "Water Cube".

 

"More than 20 Olympic test events held during the last half of this year will test the operation and service of the Olympic venues which will be completed at that time, " Xu said. "Thus, the design and the electrical equipment installation should all be finished on schedule," he said.

 

(China Daily February 7, 2007)