Bird's Nest completion delayed until April

BEIJING (Reuters) - Construction of the showpiece stadium for the Beijing Olympics, the Bird's Nest, has been further delayed and will not be ready until mid-April, a spokesman for the organizers said on Thursday.

The 91,000-seater National Stadium was originally due for completion along with the other 35 venues by the end of last year, but preparations for the opening and closing ceremonies caused an initial delay until the end of March.

"The main structure is completed but the finishing touches and the requirements of the opening and closing ceremonies mean it will be not be ready for use until April," said Sun Weide, of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

"But it will be ready for the first test event," he added.

The first test event scheduled for the stadium, nicknamed the Bird's Nest because of the interwoven steel trusses that encase its concrete bowl, is the IAAF Walking Challenge on April 18-19.

An athletics test event will take place from May 22-25 before the stadium hosts the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics and soccer finals during the August 8-24 Games.

(Take a look at the Countdown to Beijing blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Nick Macfie)