BEIJING, July 11: Two of the 12 new Beijing Olympic venues have been completed and could be handed over to officials as early as next week. Wu Jingjun, chief engineer for the Beijing 2008 project construction office, said on Wednesday that venues for rowing and shooting were ready – 13 months before the games begin.

“These two are already completed and awaiting assessment and commissioning,” Wu said.

Wu also repeated an earlier forecast, saying the 91,000-seat National Stadium, known as the ‘Bird’s Nest’, would not be completed until March. The centrepiece of the games, it is expected to be finished five months before the opening ceremony.

Unlike the 2004 Athens Olympics, venue construction in Beijing has been largely trouble-free and praised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In fact, the IOC stepped in two years ago and told builders to slow down.

The Olympic venues are a small part of a massive plan to modernise Beijing, estimated to cost between US$40-60 billion.

The rowing venue, located north of the Beijing airport, will host a test event – the World Rowing Junior Championships – beginning on Aug 8. That date marks exactly one year until the games begin.

Except for the National Stadium, Wu said all Olympic venues – 31 are in Beijing and six are located outside the capital _ would be completed by the end of the year. Of the 31 Beijing venues, 12 are new, 11 are older buildings being refurbished, and eight are temporary structures. —AP