Recently, one of China top tourist attractions, the Birds Nest Olympic Stadium continued to show its prominence post-Olympics. Naturally, the stadium has more significance than simply the place where the 2008 Games were held. This significance was further proven on Saturday August 8, 2011, where the Italian Supercup Final between AC Milan and Inter Milan was held in this enormous site. These two soccer giants flew over to Beijing to play this one-off match and brought thousands of supporters with them. The stadium is also a unmissable part of your China Tours. When tourists travel to Beijing one their first ports of call is the stadium.
This was the second time the Italian Supercup was held in Beijing. Previously, it took place in 2009 attracting just under 70,000 fans to the stadium. The ‘Race of Champions’ was another international sporting event hosted at the stadium and since then the stadium has been the stage for international teams to come on tour and play against local clubs. In July 2010, the stadium hosted a match between Birmingham City Football Club (England) and Beijing Guaon. The huge tourist attraction will play host to yet another sporting event in 2015, the ‘World Championship in Athletics.’
As for this month’s match, it is a symbol of how sport is such a global industry and how China is getting part of this growth. Chinese soccer fans, like many international fans are extremely interested in foreign teams and follow foreign leagues as much as, if not more than, local teams and leagues. The Bird’s Nest is becoming the sporting hub of Beijing and due to its modernity and many other attributes, it will hopefully continue to attract foreign sport. Foreign players too enjoy visiting China and playing a match in front of 70,000 supports adds to the excitement. The atmosphere was electric on Saturday night. One of the AC Milan players, Mark Van Bommel remarked, “For us, it’s nice to come here to play a game. It is difficult with the weather, but you get used to it, which is why we are here for a week. So we, are familiar with the circumstances and we are enjoying.”
As stated earlier, the primary function of the stadium since the Olympics in 2008 is of an attractive nature, more of a tourist site that a playing site. It draws in between 20,000 and 30,000 people a day. People who wish to visit this spectacular piece of architecture have to pay a 50RMB admission fee, such a small fee for an amazing attraction. If you wish to go and simply see the stadium there is no cost, only if you wish to enter it. The stadium cost USD$423million to build and can seat up to 91,000 fans on a day of a sporting event.
The Bird’s Nest, also known as, ‘Beijing National Stadium’ is icon of Chinese prestige. Some argue that the stadium has not attracted many events since the Olympics, and thus, there are plans to turn the stadium into a shopping and entertainment mall, however for now, it is a must-see attraction when one visits Beijing. So don’t hesitate and book your China Travel today to get a peak at this architectural beauty.
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