Some 650 workers entered the National Stadium in the wee hours of August 9 to clear the fields for upcoming matches soon after the grand opening ceremony concluded with the remarkable lightening of the Olympic cauldron.

Workers pave the lawn in the National Stadium to prepare for upcoming matches on August 10, 2008. [Photo: Xinhuanet]

Xinhua News Agency reported that workers will disassemble ground facilities used in the opening ceremony, pave the lawn, clean and mark the tracks and install equipments that will be used for the closing ceremony.

All the work will be finished by 12 o'clock on Tuesday, in 84 hours.

The National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, hosted over 80,000 people on August 8 for the Olympic opening ceremony, which won worldwide praise.

The National Stadium will host track and field matches and the final match of men's football.