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State-of-the-Art Pool to Host Universiade Diving Events
"It's a fabulous swimming pool. I can't wait to go swimming there!" said Li Jia, a student at Tsinghua University in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing.
Li has every reason to be proud of her university. The giant steel and glass building, which lies in the northeastern part of the campus, is by far the largest and the best of its kind in universities across China. All facilities inside it meet the requirements for international competitions. And it is the place where all the diving events of the forthcoming 21st Universiade are to be held.
Covering a total floor area of 9,700 square meters and with about 1,200 seats, the natatorium is big in size indeed. And it is beautiful too. Its high domed ceiling is largely made of sheets of convex glass, which lets in daylight. The silver-colored steel skeleton which hold up the ceiling, the light green glass wall, and the indoor aquamarine pools appeal to eyes so much that whoever comes into the building would like to slip into the water immediately and become a dolphin.
Officially named Tsinghua Natatorium, however, the pool is known on the campus as "Fu Mingxia Swimming Pool". Fu, a Chinese diving legend who made history by scooping four gold medals and one silver at three consecutive Olympic Games from 1992 to 2000, is now studying economic management in the university, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in China.
The pool, with a well-installed land diving training room, is one of the best diving facilities in Asia, according to Ma Xindong, an official of the Tsinghua sports center. He said the pool, together with a comprehensive sports center which is to host some of the basketball competitions of the Universiade, are specially built for the games.
The two projects, which cost 200 million RMB yuan (about 24 million US dollars), are solely funded by the university through donations and other voluntary contributions, Ma said.
The construction of the natatorium took into considerations of environmental protection, said the project manager, Zhao Jie. All materials and furnishings are eco-friendly, and water in the pool meets the requirement of drinking water, he said.
The pool will open to students after the games and will be used in students' physical education courses and training, university officials said.
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