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Competition venues to be used well after Games

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-21 15:18

An expert on Beijing Olympic economy said in Beijing on Thursday that the competition venues for the Olympic Games will be used pretty well in the post-Games period.

"When designing and planning the Olympic venues, we have already taken into consideration the utilization of venues after the Games, " said Du Wei, vice president and secretary-general of Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association, said at a press conference at the Main Press Center.

Many competition venues were built in universities or densely populated areas, so they would be efficiently used after the Games, he said.

Some venues were built in the common domain of the Olympic Green, such as the iconic Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. According to the experience of previous Olympic Games, people did not expect to recoup the investment in a short term.

Exhibitions and cultural activities will be held in the future to improve the venues' utilization, Du said.

As for the temporary venues, some will be dismantled, and others will be rebuilt for new purposes in accordance with an overall plan in that area, he said.

The expert noted that during the past seven years since Beijing's successful bid for the Games, local residents had shown growing enthusiasm in sports, triggering huge demand for sports venues.