Co-host cities ready for Beijing Olympics

The co-host cities for the sailing, equestrian and football competitions are also celebrating the countdown occasion. Qingdao, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao are confident about doing their part in hosting a successful Olympics.

The Qingdao Sailing Center will host the 2008 Beijing Olympic sailing event this summer.

Located within the center is the Oingdao Olympic Village, which has just been completed. The village will receive its first visitors next month.

The Oingdao Olympic Village has a capacity of 400 rooms to accommodate all athletes, coaches and officials.

The village will abide by the requirements of the International Olympic Committee and BOCOG and apply the same standards as the Beijing Olympic Village in terms of protocol, accommodation and reception.

During the Olympics, Qingdao Olympic Village will welcome 800 athletes and officials coming from more than 60 countries. The Olympic village has various services to meet their needs.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue has placed environmental protection and conservation on the top of its priority list in preparing for the Olympics.

The main venue, located in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, is a 278,000 square meter all-weather sand arena.

The Hong Kong Sports Institute and the Penfold Park have been remodeled and renovated to create the Olympic facility.

Venue construction will be completely finished by May.

With 18,000 seats available for fans, the Hong Kong Equestrian Center will showcase its high-tech settings for all to enjoy.

The venues for the football preliminaries are the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Shanghai Stadium, Shenyang Olympic Stadium and the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium. All of them are ready for the Games.

With preparations running smoothly and on time in these co-host cities, the 2008 Beijing Olympics is one step closer to being a great success.