Venue: Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics Gymnasium

Location: Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics

Type: Renovated

Olympic competitions: Weightlifting
　　
Floor area (sq m): 21,000

Permanent seats: 3,400
　　
Temporary seats: 2,600

Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronatutics Gymnasium may not be the best Olympic venue out there, but might as well become the birthplace for the first gold of the Beijing Olympic Games.

The gymnasium, located in the school for China’s future space talents in northeast Beijing, was completely in 2001 to stage the World University Games. It has also been one of the best volleyball venues nationwide.

The renovated stadium will be holding the weightlifting events next summer, before going through a pre-check next January during an Olympic test event.

It has three thousand seats, but will have a capacity of six thousand after temporary seats are installed.

A platform will be built near the north wall of the venue. Next year it will become the center stage for the world’s most powerful weightlifters to showcase their skills. On the morning of August 9, 2008, the venue will look like this.

Along with three other venues built in universities, Beijing hopes they will truly become legacies for the public after the Games.