Olympic Games

Venues-Football

Seaside resort for football

Last Updated: Monday, June 16, 2008 | 9:27 AM ET

Bernice Chan CBC Sports

A tourist walks on a beach on July 5, 2005 in Qinhuangdao of Hebei Province, north China. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Football fans eager to catch most of the preliminary games during the Olympics won't have trouble covering most of the action in Beijing, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao. That's because the capital of Hebei Province is about 280km east of Beijing and 220km north east of Tianjin.

Qinhuangdao is located right by the Bohai Sea, creating a relatively moderate climate. It's here that many Beijingers flock to Bedaihe, a seaside resort during the summer. It's the closest beach for these landlocked people, eager for some surf and sun.

And other than the sand and water, people can come watch the 12 football preliminaries at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

The stadium pays tribute to its seaside setting with its wavy white roof that looks like sails blowing in the wind, or like a seashell at night.

Specifically built for the Games in 2004, the venue is located in downtown Qinhuangdao. And it has the pride of being the first of the new stadiums to be completed. Around it, the street lamps feature five rings in the Olympic colours with light bulbs shining down on the grounds.

Inside, the six-storey stadium seats more than 33,500 people in blue, yellow and red seats, while the venue features a pitch and race track around it.

Last July, the stadium hosted the International Women's Soccer Invitational with China, Thailand, Mexico and Sweden. Despite a washed-out pitch a few days before the tournament, the drainage system worked well and players had no complaints.