The Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park became the first two venues for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to be handed over to the event's organizers on Saturday.

Located in Shijingshan District in western Beijing, the Beijing Shooting Range Hall will host all 10 Olympic shooting events.

Covering 7.81 hectares, the venue has 8,600 seats, with 6,218 in the qualification halls and the rest in the finals hall.

Officials said the venue will not only serve the needs of the Olympics, but is also qualified to host high-level international shooting events, such as the World Cup series and the World Championships. After the Games, it will serve as a world-class training hall for the national team and a base for training young shooters.

The national shooting team has been training in the new venue since last Monday. Wang Yifu, the team's head coach, described the venue as "good, very good".

Meanwhile, the Beijing Olympic rowing and canoeing venue was completed in northeastern Beijing's Shunyi District.

Covering 31,850 sq m, it is the largest Beijing Olympic Games venue in terms of surface area. It will host rowing, canoeing, kayaking and marathon swimming events during the Games.

The park has a seating capacity of 3,700, with 1,200 permanent seats and 2,500 temporary ones.

It is the first venue in the world to have both flat and slalom areas.

"The wind speed is OK here and the water is very clean and flat," said Ma Liancheng, a member of a Beijing rowing team. "The environment surrounding the course is also very beautiful."

After the Olympic Games, the venue will be converted into a resort for swimming and recreation - the largest of its kind in the northeastern part of Beijing.

(China Daily July 30, 2007)