OLYMPICS/ flash
Field hockey teams aspire to win big
By Yu Yilei / Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-31 14:25
Gold marks for hockey venue
Planning and constructing the Olympic Green Hockey Field was a complex project. However, after recent test events there, both players and officials offered gold medal reviews of the field.
It was the first venue in Beijing to host test event competitions this year.
Aaren Sher, an official with the International Hockey Federation, said after the 2007 International Hockey Tournament that the hockey field is a very beautiful venue with good facilities that satisfy the requirements of Olympic Games.
Located in the north of Olympic Forest Park, the Olympic Green Hockey Field covers 15,546 sq m, and includes two competition fields, spectator stands, parking lots and 14 auxiliary buildings for the media and athletes.
Although as a temporary site to host hockey events during the Beijing Games, the venue could accommodate 17,000 spectators.
The field itself has some unique characteristics including high-tech man-made grass field.
Based on Olympic requirements, the grass field should maintain some water and at the same time, feature good penetrability. In other words, 35 minutes after watering, the grass field should hold at least 2mm of water.
In order to find the perfect grass, a research group analyzed various types of grass before they settled on grass from a field in Australia.
"The grass we chose from Australia could still maintain its original shape and when we watered the grass we found that the water is hard to adhere on the man-made grass blades," said Wu Xiaonan, project manager of the hockey field. "It can also help protect athletes from getting hurt."
Since the grass field is also required to be flat, the process of laying the grass was complicated.
"We adopted the five-layer laying methods, which included laying earth, asphaltum and grass," Wu added. The grass has won praise from the players.
"The grass is very good," said Ma Yibo, the Chinese women's team captain. "The grass is good for high-speed ball which suits our team."
The structure of the venue was made with light steel tubes, which are more suitable for temporary venue since they will be removed after the Games.
After the Games, the venue will be re-adjusted for other sports and the green-covered field will become part of the whole Olympic Forestr Park.
During the five-day tournament held earlier this month, the venue was not the only thing that was met with approval. The whole organizational structure including transportation, security, volunteers, media operation and athlete services got high marks.
"The organizing job is fantastic," said Australian coach Barry Dancer. "I see 95 percent of the preparation is done for the Games next year. I believe that it will be a fantastic Olympic Games next year."
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