BEIJING -- China's National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest," was pronounced fully operational on Saturday, signaling the readiness of all 37 venues for August's Beijing Olympic Games.

"The Bird's Nest is the last completed Olympic venue but the best," said Tan Xiaochun, chief commander of the project.

Covering 20.4 hectares in the Beijing Olympic Green, the bowl-shaped structure with its prominent girders can seat 91,000 spectators for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies, track and field events, men's soccer, and some events for the Paralympics to be held in September.

The eye-catching stadium has been a news maker ever since the unveiling of its blueprint. Designed by Swiss firm Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and China Architecture Design & Research Institute, among other collaborators, the design beat dozens of other entries in a worldwide competition held in 2003.

It also topped the architecture category for the 100 most influential designs in Time magazine earlier this year.

The seating is on an interlocking network of steel bars, which makes every single one equal to each other and brings the audience back to nature, said Li Aiqing, the National Stadium Co., Ltd. board chairman.

The hollowed complex allows in maximum sunshine, making spectators feel as if they are in a forest, he added.

Designer Li Xinggang once said the bowl shape would help spectators focus on the bottom center of the container, and integrate people and the structure as a whole.

The interior of the National Stadiu, or Bird's Nest, the main venue for the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, June 20, 2008. [Xinhua]

"You can imagine yourself to be an athlete, standing at the center of the venue attracting thousands of eyes. You will be turned on by the audience's cheers, feeling at the center of a stage. It will lead you to final success. That's exactly the spirit of sports since ancient Greece," he said.

The first gold medal in the stadium was taken by 18-year-old Australian Jared Tallent on April 18 when a test event was held. He said the stadium had always been his dream place.

"I had been training hard to gain the chance to compete in the Bird's Nest. It is perfect and gives me a huge shock," he said.

The 500 million U.S. dollar stadium, however, posed great challenges to its builders.

Chief engineer Li Jiulin told Xinhua he was worried when given the blueprint because it was the most difficult project he had experienced.

"The biggest feature of the stadium lies in its beam structure. The architects came up with several lines in their mind and we had to translate the lines into reality with steel and concrete," he said.

The venue is equipped with a solar power system on top of its ticket office and a collection system that processes 58,000 tonnes of rainfall annually for its irrigation and cleansing.

The Bird's Nest, which implies the meaning of "hope," was designed with a long lifespan. It will become a scenic spot after the Games.

Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee president, said the stadium would become a landmark of the country, much like the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

As the pre-Olympic city is upgrading infrastructure, it is also upgrading etiquette among local residents. The latest campaign included a roadside BBQ crackdown and the introduction of a No Spitting Day and Queuing Day.