Accompanied by Liu Jingmin, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), a six-person delegation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headed by Mr. Hein Verbruggen, Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, and Mr. Gilbert Felli, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, inspected the 2008 Olympic venue construction in Beijing on February 23, 2004. Mr. Verbruggen spoke highly of Beijing's preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games.

    Mr. Verbruggen and his party listened to reports on the construction process of the National Stadium and the National Swimming Center before they conducted a tour of the construction site. The delegation expressed its satisfaction with the current results. "The reports we have listened to are complete and detailed," Mr.Verbruggen said, "We are honored to declare that in the past two years, Beijing has been preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games in full accordance with their bidding promise to the IOC."

    Mr. Verbruggen said he visited Beijing as the head of IOC Evaluation Commission when Beijing was bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games. He admitted that at that time he did not expect Beijing would have such outstanding Olympic venue designs, nor had he expected Beijing to give full consideration to after-games venue operation and management. Everything was beyond his expectations. He believed that Beijing's Olympic venues would be a rich and valuable legacy to its citizens and the entire nation.

    Mr. Verbruggen and his party arrived in Beijing on February 22, 2004.