Liu Zhihua (3rd left) and Wang Wei (2nd left) lays the foundation for the Gymnasium.

All the 11 competition venues to be built from scratch in Beijing have begun their construction work for the 2008 Olympiad, with the groundbreaking of Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium on October 18.

The Gymnasium, to be completed by August 2007, will be used for judo and taekwondo matches in the 29th Olympic Games, which is scheduled for August 8-24, 2008.

The project covers an area of 2.38 hectares and the total floor space of construction reaches 24,662 square meters. The seating capacity is 8,000.

Designed by the Tsinghua University Architectural Design & Research Institute, the venue consists of a main gym and a comprehensive facility.

After the Olympic Games, the gymnasium could be used to host sport competitions, art performances and cultural activities. It will also continue to serve the campus.

Altogether 37 competition venues are needed for the 2008 Games with 31 located in Beijing. Among them 11 will be newly-built, 11 renovated and 9 temporary ones.