IOC chief inspector impressed with Beijing venue tour

International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief inspector Hein Verbruggen said yesterday he was impressed with what he saw on a tour of the construction sites of venues for the 2008 Games.

Verbruggen chairs the IOC's coordination commission for the Beijing Games, which began a three-day visit to China's capital for an update on the preparations for the Games.

"It's marvellous, marvellous. Especially I think for the athletes, it'll be wonderful," the Dutchman said.

The commission visited the Olympic Green, where the showpiece main stadium with its "Bird's Nest" roof and the revolutionary "Water Cube" aquatics centre are taking shape, as well as the site of the athletes' village.

Director of the construction project Jin Yan also showed the visitors a scale model of how the Olympic Green will look when the construction is completed.

Beijing organisers said in March they were confident they would complete all the venues on schedule by the end of 2007, well in time for pre-Games testing.

The IOC commission will also hear reports on communications, ceremonies, the environment and technology during their visit.

The Beijing Olympics will take place from August 8-24, 2008.