CRI听力:Olympic Legacy Expected to Help With Beijing's Bid

Seven years after the 2008 Olympic Games, the landmark Bird's Nest stadium and Water Cube Aquatics Center in northern Beijing are still attracting tourists and commercial event organizers.

As the venue for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games, the Bird's Nest has received more than 24 million tourists over the past years.

According to Xiang Jun, the stadium's deputy general manager, major sport and performance events have filled their schedule for the coming three years.

"We've hosted more than 180 sport matches and performances in the past years, including the concert marking the 30th anniversary of the Rolling Stones and the Italian Super Cup. Actually, there has been no vacancy in our schedule for such a major event before 2018."

Not far from the stadium, the National Aquatics Center, or Water Cube, has turned into a popular water park.

Meanwhile, it has also hosted 850 major events since 7 years ago and been designated as the venue for three competitions sponsored by the world's swimming governing body FINA every year.

The center's manager Yang Qiyong says their business has developed smoothly in multiple areas.

"We are trying to build the Water Cube into a place that can both host commercial events and serve sports amateurs. We've established a swimming club with the number of registered members exceeding 10,000 members. And the water park, that features the most advanced facilities in Asia, can easily entertain visitors."

The International Olympic Committee will vote on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur to decide who will host the 2020 winter games.

China's bid officials have pledged that Beijing and nearby Zhangjiakou will build a limited number of new facilities if they win the bid, in accordance with the IOC's call for frugality.

According to their plan, the Bird's Nest will be used as the venue for the opening and closing galas and the Water Cube for curling competitions, while a planned skiing spot in Yanqing County in northern suburb of Beijing will be transformed into a training base for the national team after 2022.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.