The new Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park, built for the Games of the 29th Olympic Games, was officially delivered Saturday morning.

On August 8, the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park will host the 2007 World Rowing Junior Championships, this year's very first "Good Luck Beijing" sport event in Beijing.

During the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, 32 gold medals will be awarded at the venue, which will host the Rowing, Canoe/Kayak (Flat-water), Canoe/Kayak (Slalom), and marathon swimming events.

Construction of venue began during the first half of 2005. With a building area of 31,850 sq m, it occupies the largest surface area of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games venues.

The venue has a seating capacity of 37,000, with 1,200 permanent seats and 25,800 temporary seats, including 10,000 standing room only seats.

The Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park is the world's only first-class rowing-canoeing venue that contains both flat-water and slalom courses.

The water surface area of the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park occupies 6.35 million sq m, and the green surface area occupies 5.8 million sq m, with green coverage of over 82 percent. Combined with the forestry of the surrounding areas, the rowing-canoeing park is a natural "oxygen bar".

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

(BOCOG July 28, 2007)