Safety given top priority at Beijing Olympics
By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-29 06:51

Bureau chief Ma Zhenchuan said that international co-operation is key to a safe and peaceful Olympics.

"We have no experience in holding such large scale events, so it is essential that we learn from the experiences of other countries which have hosted such events," he said.

An international symposium on Olympic security is planned for next year, and dozens of experts from host countries of the event will attend.

So far more than 50 security experts from home and abroad have been employed as consultants to advise on security at the Beijing Games.

Meanwhile, the construction of three competition venues for the Beijing 2008 Games started yesterday.

The three new venues are the beach volleyball grounds in eastern Beijing's Chaoyang Park and the archery fields and hockey pitches, both located inside the "Olympic Green" which contains the National Stadium and the National Aquatics Centre.

The hockey venue will contain two pitches and will be able hold 17,000 spectators. The archery field occupies 9.22 hectares with a seating capacity of 5,000. The beach volleyball grounds will allow for 12,000 spectators.

The three projects are only temporary sites and will be removed after the Games.

The 2008 Games requires a total of nine temporary venues.

(China Daily 12/29/2005 page2)