• It’s not only Beijing… - OLYMPICS SPECIAL

Hong Kong
Equestrian events will take place in Hong Kong, where the Hong Kong Sports Institute and Penfold Park have been remodelled and renovated to create the Olympic complex. The main venue is an all-weather sand arena with stables for over 200 horses. Tickets have sold well, indicating a growing interest in a sport that until recently was little understood in the horse racing-mad city.

Qingdao
Olympic sailing events will take place at Qingdao International Marina & Olympic Sailing Centre, built on the site of a dockyard in Fushan Bay. Work involved construction of two breakwaters and a quay. The designers have placed the four competition venues along the coastline, with spectators lining the main seawall.

Shenyang
One of four football venues in the co-host cities, the 60,000-seat Shenyang Olympic Sports Centre Stadium will host 12 football preliminaries during the Olympic Games. Completed in June 2007, the multipurpose venue features sunlight panels in the roof to help the grass to grow, and huge display screens at the two stands, each of 192 sq m.

Tianjin
The Tianjin Olympic Centre Stadium was completed in August 2007. Also seating 60,000, it is nicknamed the ‘Water Drop’ because the exterior is designed to resemble a drop of water. As well as sports facilities, it features a recycled water system, lake water heating and cooling system, solar energy collection system, natural water purifying system, and optical fibre communications.

Qinhuangdao
More football preliminaries will take place in the seaside city of Qinhuangdao, where the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was completed in 2004, and seats 33,500.

Shanghai
The final venue for the football preliminaries will be Shanghai, where existing competition venues will be brought into use.