The post-Games usage of major sports venues is a real headache for many local governments. The fate of the Jinan Olympic Sports Center, which cost more than three billion yuan to build, and what to do with it has been a question on many people’s minds.

Zhang Zhongming, Director of the Jinan Olympic Sports Center, addressed the big question on October 20, telling reporters that a post-Games commercial development plan for the Center is underway. “We are confident that the Center will not become a burden to our government,” he said.

"The government invested so heavily in building the Olympic Center, not simply for holding the 11th National Games, but also aiming to provide a base to satisfy the public’s needs for entertainment and sports,” Zhang explained.

"The government of Jinan attaches great importance to the post-Games usage of the Sports Center; the mayor has asked about it every time he pays visits here,” he said.

A business promotion conference will be held immediately after the Games, at which time the Jinan Olympic Sports Center would need to satisfy two functions, according to Zhang. “On the one hand is public welfare, which means letting the general public come here and participate in sports and leisure activities, allowing them to enjoy some real benefits brought about by the National Games. On the other hand is economic benefits, which means reducing the heavy burden that might be put on the government, since the annual running costs of the Center and three other venues amount to 38-40 million yuan.”

The post-Games development of the Sports Center should adhere to three principles, Zhang said: “First of all, hold firm to its nature of public welfare. Second, do not change its property rights, which is a state-owned asset. Third, maintain its sports function. Try best to dig the Sports Center’s commercial value under the three premises.”

In addition to the three principles, Zhang said the Jinan Olympic Sports Center would have three main sources of income in the form of rent, event revenue and ticket sales. Rent will be collected from tenants in the 80,000 m2 commercial area, with one third of the buildings already being eyed by renters. Money received from hosting sporting events and other activities and ticket fees collected from venue naming, sightseeing and sports will also contribute to the Center’s earnings.

"The Jinan Olympic Sports Center will not just be a sports center; it is a mixture of the functions of sports, leisure, tourism and commerce. Visitors to the Center will be charged 10-20 yuan and many items used in the opening ceremony of the Games will also be retained for people to review and recollect those wonderful moments,” Zhang said.

Various basketball, tennis, table tennis and badminton sports clubs, to name a few, will be opened in the Center and their prices will not be higher than those in downtown Jinan, Zhang said, adding, “One point worth special mentioning is that since the Center has ice-making capacity, an indoor ice-skating venue will also be constructed, which is the first regular ice-skating venue in Jinan,” he said.

He finally added, “Although the pressure on us is really heavy currently, we are confident that with the acceleration of the real-estate development in the surrounding areas and the improvement of transportation and commercial facilities, the Jinan Olympic Sports Center is sure to produce sound economic returns.”

By Li Jing