A top official of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on October 27 that Beijing should not complete its venues too late.

"Venue is key to the success of the Games," Gilbert Felli, IOC's Olympic Games Executive Director, told a press conference in Beijing.

Felli is in the Chinese capital attending the IOC Coordination Commission's meeting with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics (BOCOG).

Keeping the principle of frugality in mind, Beijing organizers halted the construction work on several Olympic venues in August amid a nationwide drive to cut down on "white elephant" projects under central government efforts to prevent the economy from overheating.

Beijing is also mulling to cancel a retractable roof for the planned 80,000-seat Olympic main stadium to save costs.

"We are not concerned about the money that people want to spend on the venue. What we are concerned is the quality of the venue," said Felli.

In August, the IOC advised Beijing to slow down its preparatory work, especially venue construction, in a bid to ease the financial burden on the host city.

But Felli insisted venues should be ready "early enough" so that test events could be held a year before.

"It's very important that we can test them," he said.

The three-day IOC Coordination Commission meeting, starting as of Wednesday, will be followed this weekend by a high-profile visit by IOC President Jacques Rogge.

Also taking place in the Chinese capital will be the official transfer of knowledge meeting between Athens organizers and their Beijing counterparts.

"You have to start your preparation early enough," said Felli.

"When you have to organize a competition like the Olympic Games, it's very complicated, the operational aspect of it. That's the message we would like to give the organizing committee here in Beijing," he added.

Source: Xinhua