(BEIJING, March 10) -- Accompanied by officials of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), Mr. John James and Mr. Eiichi Kawatei, technical delegates of the International Tennis Federation (IFT) surveyed the Olympic Green Tennis Center and the hotels designated for tennis athletes and officials during the 2008 Olympic Games.

With a total of 17,400 seats, the tennis center, which is still under construction, will host the Olympic tennis preliminaries and finals with its 10 competition courts and six training courts, including men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles and wheelchair tennis events for the Paralympic Games in 2008. The main cement structure of the central competition court has been topped off and the cement works on the main structure of No. one and two courts have been completed.

Mr. James, who is also president of Tennis Europe, was satisfied with the progress of the center and expressed his belief that it would be an excellent venue, attractive both to spectators and sportsmen. "We hope that this sport facility will be fully used even after the Olympic Games are over, to leave a precious legacy to Beijing," he said.

The ITF officials also toured the Great Wall Hotel and the Beijing Landmark Hotel, where Olympic umpires and ITF officials will stay, and the Swissotel, where the Olympic tennis lots-drawing will be held.

ITF officials touring the center