The first winners of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing were announced Sunday with American architects Sasaki Associates scooping two prizes for design competitions.

The event was held for the conceptual designs of two major venues for the Games -- the Olympic Green and the Wukesong Cultural and Sports Centre.

San Francisco-based Sasaki Associates won the US$250,000 top prize for the Olympic Green -- the nucleus of the Games which holds the Olympic Park, Athletes Village and the stadium which will host the opening ceremony -- which was designed in partnership with Tianjin Huahui Architect and Design Company.

Sasaki also collected second prize for its design for the Wukesong Centre as no design was deemed good enough for the top prize. Another second prize was won by Burckhardt+Partner AG of Switzerland.

Beijing Mayor Liu Qi, who is also president of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Organizing Committee, awarded high marks to the competition which is believed to have been the biggest of their kind in the capital's history.

"This is a very successful competition," he said. "It was run in a fair, open and transparent manner with so many top designers joining the race."

Liu, who listened to the judging report from the 13-member jury Sunday with other Beijing municipal government officials, said the level of competition had been very high.

"I loved many of them (the submitted plans).They are very good," the mayor said.

A total of 87 plans were submitted since the contest was opened in April, 54 for the Olympic Green and 33 for the Wukesong Centre. The jury consists of six foreigners and seven Chinese.

Jury president Liu Thai Ker of Singapore said his colleagues were amazed at the variety and detail of the plans.

"There is an abundance of culture, creative ideas and illustration methods in this competition and it shows the massive enthusiasm for the Beijing Games from all around the world," said Liu, an expert architect and urban planner who was a jury member considering the designs for the Beijing International Exhibition and Sports Centre in 2000 and Beijing Central Business District last year.

Liu said the environment, transportation, after-games usage, "Chinese character" and feasibility were the focus of the jury.

Liu also stressed that actual construction would not necessarily follow the winning plans. "These are only the conceptual draft plans which are too primitive at this stage. The individual constructions will be the subject of separate international competitions."

An open and free exhibition will be held in the Beijing International Convention Centre from July 16 to 26, allowing the public to vote for their No 1 choice.

(China Daily July 15, 2002)