Water Cube opens to the public

Now people can swim where Olympic history was made - the Water Cube in Beijing. Ten months after the Beijing Olympics, the swimming facilities at the National Aquatic Center have opened to the public.

Now people can swim where Olympic history was made - the Water Cube in  Beijing.

The Water Cube Aquatic Center welcomed its first batch of public swimmers on Saturday afternoon. A ticket for one person is 50 yuan, two-thirds more than the average price of 30 yuan at the swimming venues in Beijing. Despite the high price, the Olympic pool still attracts many swimming fans.

A swimmer said, "The ticket price is a bit higher. But I think it's worth it because I can have the experience of swimming in this world-class pool."

A recent survey by travel agents showed that the Water Cube has replaced the Forbidden City as the second top attraction, next to the Bird's Nest, for Chinese tourists visiting Beijing. But unlike the Ancient Forbidden City, the Water Cube managers face the enormous task of recouping the initial investment of billions of yuan. Then, of course, there is the high maintenance costs.

Zhao Zhixiong, manager of National Aquatic Center, said, "It's just the beginning. It's hard to say whether our revenue can balance with the cost of operation."

Every country that has hosted the Olympic Games has faced the same challenge. But for Beijing, the global economic situation makes it even tougher.