Sports stadium stays in good use between games

With many of the nation's giant stadiums sliding into disuse and disrepair after sports events, venues for the 10th Anhui provincial games in Wuhu, Anhui province, have stood on their own since a new mode of operation was adopted in 2010.

Built for the quadrennial provincial games in 2002, the 30.8-hectare Wuhu Olympic Sports Center is now more than just a place to watch sports competitions. Hundreds of residents take their morning exercise on the 5,000-sq m free-to-the-public fitness green from 6 am to 8 am before children arrive for athletic training programs after school.

Although high-level sporting events rarely take place in the city, the 40,000-seat stadium remains a popular spot in the evenings for young people to gather for entertainment shows or hang out with friends at outlet shops, restaurants and KTVs, which operate on the ground floor of the building.

Although the city does not have a professional sports team, it is typical for locals to spend a whole day at the sports center, thanks to its multiuse operation since 2010.

"Many great stadiums have overgrown or even rusted without use after big games. It's a shame and a waste, and we don't want that," said Huang Shunong, venue operator and president of the Anhui Aoyuan Sports Industrial Group, on Monday.

"After doing our homework on other cities' experiences, we decided to focus on the venue's side functions by attracting businesses with low taxes, renting out the venue's facilities at a discounted price and developing mass fitness programs," Huang said. "It's paying off".

The venue was left as a financial burden to Wuhu until it was able to support itself when the sports industrial group was established in 2010. It has been self-sustaining since last year. More than 400 activities, ranging from concerts to sports competitions, were brought to the center, adding rental sales, ticket sales and advertising revenue to the total income.

Last year, the venue tripled what it made in 2009 and could nearly cover the annual maintenance costs of 10 million yuan ($1.6 million), Huang said.

Still, challenges remain as expenses are expected to increase to meet the public's roaring demand for sports amenities.

Vowing to provide the crowd affordable facilities and free morning services, the center has been nearly scraping even after costs for the refurbishment of timeworn hardware and site expansions.

But the public is still calling for lower fees.

"Given the condition of the more than 10-year-old venue, the rental fees here are a bit high, and it's losing customers to newer facilities offered at the same price," said Li Qiong, a local tax collector who plays badminton at the indoor stadium twice a week.

The rental cost for playing one hour of badminton is 40 yuan during peak time, which is almost the same as in Beijing and Shanghai.

Zhen Guodong, deputy director of the Anhui provincial sports bureau, said the rocketing costs will not be passed on to the public.

"We built the venue with taxpayers' money, and it's unfair to ask for more with a corporate entity in place," Zhen said.