beijing2008_833

Beijing National Indoor Stadium

The National Indoor Stadium (official name) (simplified Chinese: 国家体育馆; traditional Chinese: 國家體育館; pinyin: Guójiā Tǐyùguǎn), is an indoor stadium that is located in the Olympic Green in Beijing, China. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 people,[citation needed] and was constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It is nicknamed the Fan (扇子, shànzi) due to its design resembling a traditional Chinese folding fan.

The stadium opened its doors on November 26, 2007 for the artistic Gymnastics test event. It is also used for basketball.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, it hosted the artistic gymnastics, trampolining, and handball events. After the Olympics, the stadium is used for sports competition, cultural and entertaining purposes, and serves as a multi-functional exercise center for local residents. In 2015 it hosted the ice hockey women's world championship Beijing 2015. The stadium will be used for ice hockey during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.