Manager saw fledgling Bird's Nest grow

"I have seen the Bird's Nest start from scratch and grow day by day," said Wu Xiaonan, the stadium's general manager, who has had a long association with the Olympics.

He first took part in the preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games back in 2002, when the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co, where he worked, was selected by the capital to manage and operate the Bird's Nest, also known as the National Stadium, and the Water Cube, or the National Aquatics Center.

Wu witnessed the birth of both venues, from the design bidding process to the ceremony marking the start of construction.