Beijing Olympic venues not affected by quake

New Delhi, May 14: Olympic venues, including the unique "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube", have not been affected by Monday's earthquake in Sichuan Province, said project designers.

"The quake was reduced to a magnitude 3.9 when the quake wave reached Beijing," said Tan Xiaochun, a chief designer of the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in the capital's north eastern Chaoyang District. The National Aquatics Center, nicknamed the "Water cube," is the main venue for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming during the Olympic Games. It was also unaffected by the quake, Xinhua quoted another designer, as saying. The designer, who declined to be identified, said that the designs of the 31 Olympic venues in Beijing had undergone strict seismic appraisals before commencement of construction.

ANI