By Xinhua
Beijing : Special teams will conduct daily safety checks of the huge water network of Beijing, the host city of the upcoming summer Olympics.
“The team will consist of more than 300 patrol staff and 400 maintenance workers doing round-the-clock checks and maintenance of the water pipelines and ground water systems,” said Yu Yaping, an official with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Water Affairs.
Yu said that regular inspections would officially start in May.
“The games will be held in August, which is the annual flood season in Beijing. The routine checks will cover sound drainage of rain water, especially in the sports venues,” said Yu.
There are also many large waterscapes built to beautify the city for the big event, and the bureau will also be responsible for detecting groundwater pollution. Water safety is a key factor in guaranteeing success in hosting the world event.
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Ze Roberto may move to US
Berlin: Brazilian midfielder Ze Roberto will leave Bayern Munich when his contract ends in 2009 and plans to move to the US.
“The end in Munich will come 2009. I have been playing in Europe for too long,” Ze Roberto told Kicker sports magazine.
Ze Roberto, 33, played for Bayer Leverkusen 1998-2002, then moved on to Munich until 2006, and returned there last summer after one season at home for Santos.
He said he was looking into a move to the US to play in Major League Soccer from next year onwards. “I am in contact with a team in the US, that is an option,” he said.
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Poland to co-finance stadiums
Warsaw: The Polish government will co-finance the construction of Euro 2012 stadiums in Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a meeting with heads of cities hosting Euro 2012.
Poland is hosting the 2012 European Soccer Championship together with Ukraine. In Poland the Euro 2012 games are to be played in Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw.
Tusk, who presented a work schedule coordinating preparations to the championship, said government funding would cover about one-third of the stadium construction, according to Polish news agency PAP.
Commenting on UEFA’s recent criticism of delays in Euro 2012 preparations in Poland, Tusk said the warnings were “rather a help and not a hindrance”.