Construction began on the China Sports Museum in 1990 even before designs were finalized. As a result, structural defects forced authorities to close the museum in 2003, a director of the museum said on Monday.

Substandard materials and a faulty design contributed to an unstable foundation and caused museum walls to sink into the ground, said Qin Yanqing, office director with the Cultural and Historical Work Commission of the General Administration of Sport (GAS), who prepared a report for the GAS.

That report led to an investigation by the Construction Research Center of Tsinghua University in 2001.

"The foundation of the venue is sinking, and more than 80 percent of the floor is separating from the walls," Qin wrote.

Directors closed the museum in anticipation of the construction of a new facility. Plans for the new building have been drawn up, and construction on the same site will begin at the end of this year, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.

Staff first found out about the defects five years after the museum, the only one in the country dedicated to sports, opened in 1990 when the Asian Games were held in Beijing.

"There was a 1-meter-long slight crack on the outside wall," Qin told the Beijing Times. "The major pillar that supports the whole building in the middle also had 1-meter-long cracks in it."

"We had to obtain an iron box to store sports relics that were in the basement. There were maybe 4,000 to 5,000 relics," Qin added.

It would seem that the construction crew was under pressure to finish the museum in time for the Asian Games. There was added pressure on them because construction on the museum was the last to commence.

Museum files documenting the construction process show that the designs were not entirely ready before construction began. In addition, design plans had to be amended many times. But authorities eventually certified the building's safety upon completion.

Ironically, the project received the Special Lu Ban Award in 1991, one of the most prestigious construction awards in China.

But the Construction Industry Association of China, which gives the award, explained that it does not necessarily present awards on the basis of quality. The museum received the award because it was the year's key project.

Museum directors say there is no point in assigning blame for the building's problems. They are more concerned now with the new facility, which will be larger and more high-tech.

About 395 million yuan (US$48 million) will be spent on the project, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, Qin said.

The new venue will occupy 30,000 square meters of space, and house 13 display rooms, including a section devoted to China's ancient and ethnic sports.

(China Daily June 1, 2005)