Olympic Games

Venues-Water polo

Ying Tung Natatorium

Last Updated: Friday, May 30, 2008 | 9:30 AM ET

Bernice Chan CBC Sports

A general view of the Ying Tung Natatorium on the Olympic Green on March 30, 2007 in Beijing, China. The natatorium hosts water polo, modern pentathlon (swimming) during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. (Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

The Ying Tung Natatorium was the swimming venue for the 1990 Asian Games and it’s been revamped for the Summer Olympics as a venue for the water polo and swimming competitions for the pentathlon events.

Located at the Olympic Sports Center, the building looks like a modern Asian temple, with a giant sloping roof that invites athletes and sports fans to have an uplifting, adrenalin-filled experience.

Many renovations had to be done to the natatorium, starting with the exterior walls, which were not built properly, making it difficult to keep temperatures at poolside consistent, resulting in a great loss of energy. (Natatorium, should you be asked, is the formal name for “indoor swimming pool.”)

Also, sunshade curtains are used in the ceiling to allow as much natural light in without making it glaring, and the skylight can be opened to allow fresh air in. Beijing Olympics organizers quote one of the designers as saying, “Our design allows the competition hall to open its eyes to the daylight and breathe the fresh air from the outside.”

The pool itself was deteriorating, with many cracks in it. Instead of completely replacing the pool, designers and management officials decided to line the area with a PVC membrane. So not only do the diving and lane pools look a spiffy blue, but can hold water and meet competition standards.

Olympic athletes will make a splash in this old venue made new again, with 4,852 people cheering them on in the stands.