BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Preparations for the construction of four venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games have been completed and work is scheduled to start before the end of this month, which marks the beginning of the three-year Olympic venue construction project.

The first group of venues to be built include the National Stadium, the National Swimming Center, the Beijing Shooting Range and the Laoshan Velodrome, Saturday's China Daily reported, quoting sources with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 26th Olympiad.

As the main stadium for the 2008 Games, the 360-million-US dollar National Stadium will no doubt attract the most attention among the four venues.

The construction workers and equipment are now ready at the site, which is located in the Olympic Green, in the north of the city and east of its north-south axis line.

The construction site for the stadium has been cleared and the division lines have been marked. The removal of trees and stumps has been completed.  The electricity supply will be in place beforethe ground breaking.