Location: Tianjin

Use during the Games: Football Preliminary

Category: New Competition Venue (under construction)

Tianjin

Known as "Diamond of the Bohai Gulf", Tianjin is the gateway to the Chinese capital Beijing. With a population of more than 10 million, it is one of the country's biggest industrial centers and one of the key ports. Tianjin's annual average temperature is 12.2 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Celsius in January and 26.8 degrees Celsius in July).

Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium

Serving as one of the Football venues, the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium covers 78,000 square meters, with a seating capacity of 60, 000. The project went into construction in August 2003 and is due for completion in 2006. Designed by AXS SAWTO Inc. (Japan), the project fully reflects the three Olympic concepts -- "Green Olympics," "High-tech Olympics," and "People's Olympics."

The six-floor stadium, with a length, width, and height of 380, 270, and 53 meters, respectively, can meet the standards of staging international football games and athletics. Along with such affiliated facilities as big marketplace, exhibition hall, conference room, and gym, the stadium is also able to provide the public with space for entertaining, exercising, and shopping.

The ground floor of the stadium includes a 22,670 square meter indoor parking lot, a 3,460 sq. m. exhibition hall, a 6,400 sq. m. dining room, a 5,930 sq. m. health care center, and a 4,010 sq. m. section for both athletes and referees.

The franchised stores, the health care center, and the international convention center on the first floor cover an area of 3,840, 130, and 85 sq. m., respectively.

The second floor contains a 4,320 sq. m. sports and exercise hall, an 85 sq. m. international convention center, and a 130 sq. m. health care center.

There is a 4,166 sq. m. box, a 3,030 sq. m. international convention center, and a 1,440 sq. m. health care center on the third floor, while there is a 345 sq. m. international convention center, and a 1,300 sq. m. health care center on the fourth floor.

The spectator stand, the 8+1 racetrack, the training field, and the turf field cover 34,740 sq. m., 4,560 sq. m., 20,000 sq. m., and 7,680 sq. m., respectively.

The Olympic Center Stadium is able to accommodate up to 80,000 people, including 500 of the platform and 300 of the press box.

The Olympic Center

The Tianjin Olympic Center is situated to the southwest of the city's downtown area. Covering a total of 966,000 sq. m., the Center is divided into three sections -- the competition section, the comprehensive section, and the accommodation section -- with an investment of 880 million US dollars.

The competition section, the comprehensive section, and the accommodation section occupy an area of 453,000 sq. m., 280,000 sq. m., and 233,000 sq. m., separately.

The competition section consists of a grand stadium, an aquatic sports Center, an international sports exchange center, and an existing Tianjin sports indoor stadium.