Commission chairman Hein Verbruggen (2nd, right) visits the National Indoor Stadium.

(BEIJING, May 16) -- The progress being made by the construction workers at the sites of new venues for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games won praise from members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission on Tuesday.

For the commission chairman Hein Verbruggen, it was a "great change" in a six months time when he toured the so-called Bird's Nest -- the National Stadium. He last visited the site in October 2005, when work was being done on its concrete structure. What he saw now is that the mega building started to take shape. "They (BOCOG) have done a lot," Verbruggen said.

Mr. Wu Ching-Kuo from the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has a special feeling for the National Aquatics Center as he participated in the appraisal of the project's design. He said architecture is part of the culture and that the Beijing Olympiad will be a display of the Olympic architecture never seen before.

The post-Games use of the Olympic projects was among the concerns of commission members. When told that the archery and hockey fields will be pulled down to be made grass lands after the Games, Verbruggen and his deputy Richard Kevan Gosper nodded assent.

IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli and other officials and experts toured Wukesong Culture and Sports Center, Fengtai Baseball Field and Laoshan Velodrome on Monday. They got to know about the details of the project cost, function, auxiliary facilities and the greening program at surrounding areas.

Commission members' visit took place as its sixth session was scheduled for May 16-18 to see that the Organizing Committee for Beijing 2008 (BOCOG) is continuing on track in its preparations for the Games.

Richard Kevan Gosper (right) at the Olympic Village

Hein Verbruggen, in company with Vice Mayor of Beijing Liu Jingmin (right), at the National Indoor Stadium.

Layout of the central Olympic area

Verbruggen (right) at the National Stadium