Water Cube Tickets in High Demand

(ATR) Competition is just as fierce to get into the Water Cube as it is inside the pool, where sold-out sessions have cheered on Michael Phelps and other top swimmers in this first week of the Games.

The facility, officially known as the National Aquatic Center, has 6,000 permanent and 11,000 temporary seats.

Apart from the opening and closing ceremonies, the morning swimming finals are the only events at the Olympics for which media must also have a press ticket.

For those willing to pay, a single ticket for the Aug. 17 finals at which Phelps, who already has five gold medals here, could possibly win a record eighth gold medal, recently sold for $3,876.99 on eBay. A pair of tickets for Aug. 14 sold for $2,799 on eBay, though the average price is closer to $2,000 for a pair. Face value can be as little as 200 RMB/$15.

Although the events are sold out, there are empty seats on both sides of the pool. Media seats are sometimes vacant because journalists are interviewing athletes or working in the media room. Across the pool, a large block of seats next to the diving well are unused during swimming because they're reserved for diving photographers.

Some spectators are simply late arrivals to the finals, which start at about 10 a.m. to accommodate U.S. television prime time demands.

Diving and swimming take place this week at the Water Cube. Next week synchronized swimming is scheduled.

Inside the Cube

The 3,100 pillows covering the outside of the facility give the appearance of being enclosed in a giant piece of bubble wrap. The water motif is everywhere, from cascading water running down one side of the building and collecting in a pool, to the cut-out circles in the elevator ceilings.

The pool itself is 3 meters (about 10 feet) deep with state-of-the-art filtration and guttering systems.

Swimmers have found the pool to be extremely fast.

So far, 12 world records have been set in 16 finals, including two in the men's 400-meter freestyle relay (100m leadoff leg and for the entire relay).

"It's the temple of swimming," FINA vice president Dale Neuburger of the U.S. tells Around the Rings. "It's the finest facility in the world."

He also says the lighting is fantastic. "The overall atmosphere of the building gives one the feeling that this is a very special place, I think swimmers will respond the same way baseball players do in Yankee Stadium or cricket players at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds."

U.S. spectators, including President Bush last Saturday, have been drowned out by a Chinese group in the athletes section who shake rattles, hit a gong and cheer as Chinese swimmers compete.

"The pool's awesome," says Dara Torres, who became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal when she swam the anchor leg on the United States' silver-medal winning 400-meter freestyle relay. "It's very deep. The water pours out of the side of the gutters. I've never seen such a big facility in my life, you get a great feeling walking into the facility knowing this is the Olympic Games."

Chinese officials have not divulged the final cost of the building, but estimates say it could be higher than $200 million. But the financing for the facility has come from outside China: ex-patriots around the globe have contributed the money to build the venue.

Amenities for Spectators, Press

Announcers in English and Chinese keep the audience apprised of the action. The souvenir stands have hats, shirts - including those specific to aquatic sports - and novelty items like coins, Swatches and a small gold model of the Bird's Nest, which is next door. On at least one night, the souvenir stands closed shop before the last event.

At the concession stands, people can buy two brands of Chinese beer, Tsingtao or Yanjing, as well as Budweiser, all three sponsors of the Beijing Games.

Popcorn, at 10 RMB/$1.50 is one of the most expensive items on the menu, which also includes bread, cake, milk, ice cream and a sandwich/hot dog.

The concourse is spacious and has huge pieces of art that make good photo opportunities. The gleaming bathrooms, much to the relief of U.S. tourists, have Western-style toilets.

A musical montage featuring the mascots kicks off the each session of finals. A chirpy mascot song can get annoying, but the sound system also includes recent pop music.

The mixed zone for print media is a serpentine corridor that allows more reporters to get close to the athletes for interviews. For the first time in recent memory, the mixed zone is just off the main press workroom.

Written by ATR Staff in BeijingFor general comments or questions, click here