Liu Xiang en route to his first world title (© Getty Images)
21 May 2008, BeijingThe first track and field meeting to be staged in the new 91,000-seat National Stadium here begins tomorrow in what is officially labelled the “Good Luck Beijing China Athletics Open”. Unofficially, it will feel more like the “Good Luck Liu Xiang Olympic Decibel Test”.
950 athletes and over 2,000 accredited media
Although the venue - popularly known as the Bird’s Nest Stadium - has been partially tested with walking and marathon events, only now is it about to undergo its first thorough examination. Some 950 athletes, 3,800 volunteers, 270 paid staff and 2,240 accredited media are ready and waiting, as is China’s Olympic poster boy.
To be staged over four days in eight sessions (Thursday to Sunday), the programme of 46 events is split between 24 for women and 22 for men. For only one of the sessions have all available advance tickets been sold - for Saturday evening, when Liu is expected to dominate the final of the men’s 110m Hurdles.
Liu, the World record holder and defending Olympic champion, is ranked No.2 this year behind David Oliver, of the United States. But Oliver, who ran 12.95 in Doha, is not here as are none of Liu’s likely main Olympic challengers. Liu, with his 13.19 victory in Osaka two weeks ago, is the only non-American in the 2008 global top 10.
While competition manager Shen Chunde went to great lengths to ensure that all national federations received ample notice and reminders of the test event, athletes from fewer than a dozen countries outside China are taking the chance to sample the venue three months before the Games.
“The Americans, for example, are sending four coaches but no athletes,” Shen said. “I don’t know why (athletes from more countries are not here). Maybe it is because we have not got any prize money and we are very far from Europe.” Given that the IAAF Golden League season starts in Berlin on Sunday week (1 June) he has a point.
Liu expected to draw 300,000 spectators
For, as Lamine Diack, the President of the IAAF, says in his message in the China Open programme: “With only a few months to go to China hosting the Games of the XXIX Olympiad of the modern era, athletes will have the opportunity to become acquainted with the facilities at the ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium.”
With no overseas rivals, Liu’s main opposition is likely to be Shi Dongpeng, his compatriot who was fifth in the World Championships in Osaka, last year, when the Olympic champion added the World title to his collection. As there are heats, semis and final on consecutive days, organisers expect the four-day attendance to reach some 300,000.
World champ Vili also in the field
One other Osaka World champion is expected - women’s Shot gold medallist Valerie Villi, from New Zealand. Perhaps the most competitive event, so far as depth is concerned, will be the women’s 10,000m in which 10 entrants have personal bests below 32 minutes. Among them are Zhou Chunxia, the World Championships marathon runner-up in Osaka.
The field does not include, however, Xing Huina, the Olympic 25-lap champion who last week confirmed that she would not compete again this season after struggling with persistent injury.
In the biggest-scale operation among all the sports test events for the Games, it will be the first opportunity to see the 3.5bn yen stadium close to half full. Cheng Yan, the venue deputy director, promised: “Wherever you sit - the lower, middle or upper seats – you are close to the track. No matter where you sit you get an unobstructed view.”
Race walking and marathon test events were held last month and, taking notice of the athletes’ reaction, a significant change has been made in the former category. The walkers complained that the surface was too hard on the knees, especially for the 50km walk, and, according to Shen, matting is to be laid for the Olympics.
“It will be 4mm thick whereas for a track taking spikes it is 12mm,” Shen said. “We invited some local walkers to test it and they said the mat was better than the stone. The circuit (for the Olympics) is 2km so we will lay matting 4m wide around the whole course. It takes only five or six hours before the event.”
Another athlete who was listened to yesterday was one who arrived from Mongolia without having entered. “She had come a long way so we thought we should give her a chance to compete,” Shen said. An Olympic test event it may be but she had better not do the same in three months time.
“This is the Chinese Open and we have the choice,” Shen added. They can’t be so obliging come the Olympics.
David Powell for the IAAF
