Aug. 4, 2008

While the rest of the Tar Heel football program is sweating through training camp, the normally ever-present Kevin Best is absent. Don't worry, he's got a good--or is that gold?--reason. The Deputy Director of Athletic Communications is in Beijing this month, where he's serving as the Information Manager for all Olympic events at the National Stadium. That includes the opening and closing ceremonies, all track and field events, and the men's soccer final. Kevin will file periodic dispatches from Beijing for THB.com.

Simply put, the National Stadium (aka The Bird's Nest) is an architectural masterpiece. From the outside, it's the most original stadium you'll ever see. Pillars of concrete are interwoven with a mish-mash of supporting beams coming together at seemingly random intervals. It does appear from the outside like a bird's nest. The stadium is lit up with a red glow each evening.

The open-air stadium contains the Olympic flame cauldron at the top of the facility. No one knows who will light the flame, but two of the leading candidates are Yao Ming or Li Jiang (110 hurdler).

Capacity is 91,000 and that doesn't include the massive number of media. It's hard to imagine, but nearly one-fourth of the lower bowl of the stadium is devoted to media.

After these games, the stadium will be immediately recognizable throughout the world. More than 1 billion people are expected to watch these games.