Cracking Open the Water Cube

Yesterday saw the opening of what promises to be one of the most iconic buildings of the 2008 Olympics: the National Aquatic Center, or as it's more commonly known, the Water Cube.

Many a writer has rhapsodized about the exterior of the cube, which was designed by PTW Architects, but now was the moment for the world's media to experience the inside of the structure. Inside is as aesthetically pleasing as you would imagine, with masses of bright white walls, straight metallic edges and a bubble theme running throughout. The facilities are equally impressive, with the training pool, diving boards and competition all matching the overall aesthetic of the building. The center is due for its opening event on Jan 31 with the Good Luck Beijing 2008 China Swimming Open.

Bizarrely, the ceremony had little in the way of "bang" to mark to occasion. As close as it came to any excitement was when organizing committee president, Liu Qi, and Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong, walked sedately around the pool and dipped their fingers in. With nothing captivating to grab their attention, the scrums of photographers jostled to find the defining shot of the water cube. Here is a selection of what our man Simon Lim managed to bag.

In other Olympic-related news:

BOCOG have released the results of the second phase of Olympic ticketing. Those who applied for tickets should be getting an e-mail from BOCOG's ticketing center soon. Despite attracting requests for about 4.5 million tickets, the trouble prone second-phase only managed to assign 450,000 of the 1.8 million tickets on offer, as buyers all wanted to get their hands on tickets to a narrow range of popular events.

Speaking of tickets, don't get nervous about reports that BOCOG are asking for photo ID and personal information of Olympic ticket buyers, as these strict regulations only apply to those who successfully booked tickets to the opening or closing ceremonies.

Construction of the Olympic Village has been completed.

Links and Sources:
Official 2008 Beijing Olympics Site: National Aquatics Center
Urbane: The Olympic Builder
Official 2008 Beijing Olympics Site: National Aquatics Center delivered for use
QQ: Watercube by Night