The Olympic Forest Park here will serve as an emergency shelter for audience and players of Games, should a natural disaster or terrorist attack hit the city, an official source here said.
The 680-hectare park provides a large expanse of open area for people to take shelter from disasters and has an efficient communication system, according to the source with the Beijing Olympic organising committee's public area management department. The organising committee reportedly has prepared 300 sleeping bags and 50 tents.
The park, the largest in Beijing and home to three Olympic venues including the Olympic Green Archery Field, the Olympic Green Tennis Centre, and the Olympic Green Hockey Stadium, is expected to house a maximum of 100,000 people during the Games.
According to the source, in cases of calamities like earthquakes, the venue can also be used as emergency refugees,
Over 1,000 security personnel with 150 sniffer dogs over the past few days have been engaged in safety checks in the park, which is closed for public from July 5 to Aug 9.
The park will continue to serve as an emergency shelter for Beijing residents even after the Games.
The Yuandadu Park, one of the closest shelters to the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest on the Olympic Green, can shelter up to 253,000 people.
