Post-Olympics, China works on avoiding white elephants
Fearing their newly built sports venues might end up as white elephants, China is working on ensuring their Olympic facilities are being reinvented for non-sports uses.
Associated Press reported that private developers have been signed up to run stadiums and arenas. It said the Water Cube swimming centre, due to become a public pool, raised money by licensing its name for a bottled water brand. The 91,000-seat Bird’s Nest stadium is taking bids from companies for naming rights, the report said.
“We believe that post Games and for a long period of time, these venues will be used pretty well,” Du Wei, Vice President of the Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association, a group linked to the Beijing organisers, was quoted saying.
“The management companies will immediately open them up for public use.”
There is acknowledgement that it would take decades for the Bird’s Nest and other venues to pay for themselves.
“We can’t expect in the short term all the investment will be regained right away,” Du was quoted saying.
China spent US$1.9 billion to build 12 permanent and eight temporary venues and refurbished 11 others.
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