The Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, situated in downtown Tianjin, will be completed by the end of this year on schedule, an official source said on Friday.

With construction started in August 2003, the stadium is expected to become a unique sports landscape circled by several man-made lakes with around 10,000 square meters of water area.

Covering a floor area of 78,000 square meters and with a seating capacity of 60,000, the stadium includes a huge indoor parking lot, an exhibition hall, a dining room, a health center, and many rooms for both athletes and referees.

The stadium is going to host 12 soccer preliminary games during the 2008 Olympic Games.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2006)