Olympic Stadium: Beijing National Stadium

[baron-pierreIV]

Now that the 'Hole in the Ground' is covered by grass and at least a feet of dirt, I guess there will be a change for the substrate before the opening ceremony...... which means removing the grass over the hole and then replacing it after the ceremony...... either way you look at it, its a lot of work.......

well, yeah...? That's the whole point of putting in that massive stage w/ hydraulic lifts. For it to be used at Ceremonies...

Why else do you think it was all pre-designed?

Putting in a grass surface and then removing it w/in 15 hours or so, is nothing these days. As u've seen, all those operations are mechanized. But it has to be done...

[jiejie]

Well, they'll probably have plenty of time during the summer (once test events and Olympic trials are finished), perhaps a month or so, to completely change the stadium's surface (as well as add some special lighting, cameras, etc.) for the Opening Ceremony. And configuring it back to host Athletics for the Games in just a week is really nothing unheard of - Sydney and Athens had to the same (not sure about Barcelona and Atlanta, it looks like they just put a tarp or something over their track and field).

Special Lighting for the Opening Ceremony is already installed. If you look at the recent pictures, at the front "balcony" edges of the middle and upper tier seating, you'll see a series of blue-tarp wrapped objects all around the Birds Nest. That's it. I was at the Birds Nest for an event last Saturday night, sat at the front of the middle tier, and "peeked" under one of the blue wrappers--also asked a facility security staff about purpose, and they confirmed same.

There are no more public events scheduled at the Birds Nest until the Opening Ceremony, and access is now restricted. So they will now have time to do whatever secret magic they are going to do to get it ready.

[baron-pierreIV]

Special Lighting for the Opening Ceremony is already installed. If you look at the recent pictures, at the front "balcony" edges of the middle and upper tier seating, you'll see a series of blue-tarp wrapped objects all around the Birds Nest. That's it. I was at the Birds Nest for an event last Saturday night, sat at the front of the middle tier, and "peeked" under one of the blue wrappers--also asked a facility security staff about purpose, and they confirmed same.

There are no more public events scheduled at the Birds Nest until the Opening Ceremony, and access is now restricted. So they will now have time to do whatever secret magic they are going to do to get it ready.

well, there will be two Dress Rehearsals.

[NY20??]

Special Lighting for the Opening Ceremony is already installed. If you look at the recent pictures, at the front "balcony" edges of the middle and upper tier seating, you'll see a series of blue-tarp wrapped objects all around the Birds Nest. That's it. I was at the Birds Nest for an event last Saturday night, sat at the front of the middle tier, and "peeked" under one of the blue wrappers--also asked a facility security staff about purpose, and they confirmed same.

Oh okay, I see the lighting now. But, along with those tarp-wrapped objects, wouldn't all this be special lighting for the Ceremonies as well? And I'm assuming that they may still have some special lighting on the stadium's surface that still needs to be installed.

By the way, do they keep all, or at least most, of that stuff installed through the Games' two weeks so that they won't have to scramble on the last weekend to get things ready for the Closing Ceremony?

[Jonafin]

By the way, do they keep all, or at least most, of that stuff installed through the Games' two weeks so that they won't have to scramble on the last weekend to get things ready for the Closing Ceremony?

Well considering that the Athletics will be held in the last 10 days of the games, (August 15-24), not to mention the Soccer final. Also, I don't think that they are going to the hole in the ground again. So the stadium floor should be at least flat (unless the cauldron is to stand there in the middle). Besides all they really need is a central platform for the singers and other performers, so that would really only entail a major re-surfacing after the last sporting events. As long as these special lightings, do not interfere with the athletes, i am sure that they will be kept up.

[cfm Jeremie]

Athens Official Report comes up with a DVD of about one hour presenting the preparation of the Opening and Closing ceremonies. It's amazing to see the amount of work that can be done in a few hours to convert the Olympic Stadium from Athletics mode back to Ceremonies Configuration.

I was in the olympic stadium for both the last track and field event and Closing ceremony: they had covered the field with a special floor, set up the central ramp/stage, put back additional lighting and sound systems, add some new props in the air... I remember being surprised on the last track and field day at how fast they were rushing the track and field equipment outside the stadium as soon as an event was over (basically not a minute to lose).

[baron-pierreIV]

PLus, like in Atlanta, they only had 1 chance to do a dress rehearsal of the CC -- the early afternoon before the actual Closing.

For LA, while there was a site where most of the Closing was assembled and rehearsed (at the now defunct El Segundo High), they also rehearsed and timed the assembly of the stage (for those of you familiar with it, the stage where Lionel Ritchie performed with the fountains, etc. -- and the 4 light towers) including the loading into 17 trucks and back. This was all timed and simulated to the last minute.

[baron-pierreIV]

For those who were worried about the colored running tracks in Birds Nest, look at one of a different color in a stadium in Rio. I like the blue.

]

[Olympian2004]

Or how about the venue of the next IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the Olympiastadion of Berlin?

BTW: The stadium shown above by Baron is the Estadio Olimpico Joao Havelange in Rio, the venue of the athletic events at the 2007 Pan American Games.

[james]

Why is Red colour all over the interior of tthe Stadium? To what significant is this colour to the Chinese that it becomes so pronounced in almost every thing about the games?

[mr.x]

Red is a Chinese symbol of good luck and fortune;

The colour of celebrations

The colour of public pomp and ceremony

The colour of prosperity, power and strength

The primary colour of the Chinese flag

The colour of vibrancy and vitality

[jiejie]

Red is a Chinese symbol of good luck and fortune;

The colour of celebrations

The colour of public pomp and ceremony

The colour of prosperity, power and strength

The primary colour of the Chinese flag

The colour of vibrancy and vitality

And to many non-Chinese, red is the color of anger and the color of blood. I've been in the Bird's Nest several times, and the red paint is a bit overdone. I especially don't like it inside the toilet stalls, where it certainly doesn't heighten my sense of pomp and ceremony.

[stryker]

Any chance the government will name the stadium after Mao following the Olympics?

[baron-pierreIV]

Any chance the government will name the stadium after Mao following the Olympics?

Why, would the Mao family buy the naming rights?

Seriously, I don't know that any Olympic stadium has been renamed after a national figure. I think it's always... (City Name) OLYMPIC Stadium. I think the IOC might object but they would have very little legal precedent to force a change if it were so.

Edited June 9, 2008 by baron-pierreIV

[cfm Jeremie]

Why, would the Mao family buy the naming rights?

Seriously, I don't know that any Olympic stadium has been renamed after a national figure. I think it's always... (City Name) OLYMPIC Stadium. I think the IOC might object but they would have very little legal precedent to force a change if it were so.

Hmm, where is Turner Field again?

[baron-pierreIV]

Hmm, where is Turner Field again?

But it is Turner Field as a BASEBALL facility; post-Olympic use. ANd it was never called Turner Olympic Stadium. That's what I am saying.

Besides, Ted Turner paid for the conversion. Is Mao paying for the stadium post-August?

[savas]

Athens Olympic Stadium "Spyros Louis"

[baron-pierreIV]

Athens Olympic Stadium "Spyros Louis"

Well, there's always an exception to every rule. ANd that exception for Athens is a great one!!

Is it the new one or the old Panathinikos one? The old one seems to have so many names.

(Yeah, I know Istanbul has also called theirs the Atataruk Olympic Stadium -- except that's a fake one because the Olympics were never played in that stadium. Maybe that's a case of hubris for Istanbul; naming venues 'Olympic' when they haven't really had it. The gods must not like it.)

[mr.x]

[mr.x]

[mr.x]

[Aronious]

fark...even the toilets are harsh! still, very proud of the Chinese. You can't not be happy with how that country has progressed in the past decade.

[mr.x]

fark...even the toilets are harsh! still, very proud of the Chinese. You can't not be happy with how that country has progressed in the past decade.

Couldn't agree more!

But with that said, the Olympic Stadium - even with its complex steel design - cost only US$500-million to build. Even with China's hot construction market and the rapidly rising prices of construction materials around the world, it only cost them that much to build the facility. I'm sure they saved a ton on labour.

The same facility with the same design, built in another country (e.g. U.S., Canada, Australia) would probably cost well over US$1-billion. I wouldn't be surprised if it even cost more than Montreal's $2-billion Olympic Stadium.

[savas]

Well, there's always an exception to every rule. ANd that exception for Athens is a great one!!

Is it the new one or the old Panathinikos one? The old one seems to have so many names.

(Yeah, I know Istanbul has also called theirs the Atataruk Olympic Stadium -- except that's a fake one because the Olympics were never played in that stadium. Maybe that's a case of hubris for Istanbul; naming venues 'Olympic' when they haven't really had it. The gods must not like it.)

It is the new one. The old Olympic Stadium, the "Panathinaikon" is very often called "Kalimarmaro" which means "Beautiful Marble"

[baron-pierreIV]

... very often called "Kalimarmaro" which means "Beautiful Marble"

Oh, so that's what "___Marmaro" means. I used to work in a law firm that had a "Marmaro" as a partner. Didn't realize he was of Greek origin.