Source: CCTV.com

11-28-2007 13:14

The National Indoor Stadium, which will serve as the venue for sports including artistic gymnastics during the Beijing Olympics will host its first sporting event today. The 2007 Artistic Gymnastics International Invitational tournament is part of the Good luck Beijing testing series.

With just a day away from hosting its first ever competition, the National Indoor Stadium was still closed to the public and the media. Only a few athletes on a pre-match tour around the venue were on hand to give their impressions.

Feng Zhe, Nat'l Gymnastics Team member, said, "It's huge..it's magnificent. It's really big and really impressive, more than any of the venues we've ever been."

Lu Bin, Nat'l Gymnastics Team member, said,"Very excited to see it, and just imagine that we will be actually competing in here when 2008 comes!"

The Invitational will welcome 104 athletes from 21 countries and regions, and will last through December 3. Six thousand tickets will be sold to the public at the ticket prices starting at 10 yuan.