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Bird's Nest -- China's new Olympic National Stadium, opens its door for the first time to international media. China's main Olympic stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest opened its doors to the international media for the first time on Wednesday (April 16). The iconic 3.5 billion yuan (500.2 million U.S. dollars (USD)) arena, the centrepiece of the Beijing Olympics took more than four years to build. Construction started in December 2003 and completed 14 weeks behind schedule. It will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics and soccer finals during the Aug. 8-24 Summer Games. With 114 days to go until the opening ceremony, the finishing touches still need to be done. Workers painted lines on the running track and some of the 91,000 seats had yet to be fixed in place. A large band of volunteers, mostly university students, said they were very proud to be granted the opportunity to work in the stadium. "This is my first time in the stadium, and I feel very proud to have the opportunity to witness our Olympics with my own eyes. I hope the Games will be successful," said Li Qian, a student from China's renowned Peking University said. From the inside, the interwoven steel structure that gives the stadium its nickname was largely hidden by a membrane. The design will keep the rain off and prevent unsightly shadows from ruining television pictures on sunny days. The roof that was in the original design was cut out of plans in 2004 as a cost-cutt...