Beijing vice-mayor Ji Lin has been appointed as head of construction for the 2008 Olympics in place of Liu Zhihua, who was sacked last weekend.

Beijing vice-mayor Ji Lin has been appointed as head of construction for the 2008 Olympics in place of Liu Zhihua. [file photo]

Ji was unveiled as the "newly appointed chief of the 2008 Project Construction Headquarters Office" in a report on a visit to the Olympic sites by chief Beijing organiser Liu Qi posted on the official website of the 2008 Games late on Wednesday.

Liu Zhihua, also a vice-major of Beijing, was stripped of his post last Sunday, accused of corruption and bad morals, and is likely to lose his Communist Party membership before being prosecuted.

Ji, 44, is a native of Shanghai and has a masters degree in criminal law. He is a member of the Communist Party's Beijing Committee and was appointed vice-mayor of the city in 2004.

As well as taking charge of the building of the Olympic venues, Ji will run the estimated $40 billion project to upgrade the Chinese capital's infrastructure in time for the Games.

That involves the construction of new roads, railways and metro lines as well as a third terminal for Beijing airport.

Organisers have said that all the Olympic venues will be completed by the end of 2007 in time for pre-Games testing.

"Construction of the Olympic venues and affiliated facilities has entered a key phase now," Liu Qi was quoted as saying on his visit to the sites on Wednesday.

"We will, as always, stick to the principle of 'frugality' to stage the Olympics, scientific innovation and strict management system while pushing to remain on schedule..."

Hong Kong's Wen Hui Bao newspaper reported that he had kept mistresses in a "palace" in Kuangou near Beijing.

The paper also said that a tip from a disgruntled businessman had alerted the authorities to Liu Zhihua's alleged corruption.