Quotable

"I want to refute a groundless rumor. The Water Cube was operating at a balance instead of running a deficit last year. Sales revenue has surpassed 100 million yuan ($15.8 million) for two years in a row."

YANG QIYONG, deputy CEO of the National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube, responded to a series of pictures taken by a Reuters photographer, which appeared online recently. The pictures showed some sports facilities built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games were deserted. Yang said the Water Cube has held 47 sport events and 422 performances up to the end of June, and 2.19 million people visited or swam in the center last year.