Beijing readies Olympic venues

BEIJING (AFP) - Organisers are preparing 37 venues to stage 28 medal sports during next year's August 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

The 31 venues in Beijing include 12 that are purpose built, 11 that are being renovated, and eight temporary venues.

Four other cities are sharing the football tournament, while the Yellow Sea port city of Qingdao is hosting the yachting and Hong Kong is staging the equestrian events.

More than half of all Olympic venues as well as the Olympic village are concentrated in one small area of northern Beijing known as the Olympic Green.