A major step in the construction of the showpiece
stadium for the 2008 Olympics was taken on Sunday when the interlocking steel
superstructure that gives the arena its "Bird's Nest" shape was freed of its
supports.
The photo shows the
site of the National Stadium, dubbed the "Bird's Nest," in Beijing where
construction work passed a crucial stage when supports underpinning the
steel structure were removed September 17, 2006. [Xinhua]
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To mark the occasion, reporters were allowed
their first glimpse inside the National Stadium, where in less than two year's
time the world's finest athletes will compete to write their names into Olympic
history.
The concrete terraces that will house 91,000 spectators for the athletics,
opening and closing ceremonies and soccer final in 2008 are already taking shape
under what is still a dull, grubby metal shroud.
Some of the several thousand labourers working on the project had already
started to lower rusting supports down onto the dirt floor inside the arena,
roughly where the finish line of the running track will be.
A special system of 156 hydraulic jacks enabled around 14,000 tonnes of
pressure to be taken off the 78 bracketing support structure in a process that
took some four hours early on Sunday morning.
"It was pretty difficult," Zhang Hengli, deputy general manager of the
National Stadium Company, told reporters at the site.
"It's one of the milestones of the project, the concrete bowl and decoration
of the arena are relatively straightforward in construction terms.
"We've used a lot of high-tech and new materials so far because of the
complexity of the design, so successfully removing the support structure is very
meaningful.
"Personally, I think if everything goes as expected, there won't be any
problems for the rest of the project."
The 3.13 billion yuan ($394 million) stadium is scheduled for completion in
late 2007.
Beijing is constructing or renovating 31 venues for the Games and has
embarked on a $40 billion upgrade of the city's infrastructure.
Officials told a news conference on Sunday that construction was well
underway on 26 of the venues and the main structures of most were likely to be
finished by the end of the year.
