When 2006 Winter Games host Torino was told to speed up their preparation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Beijing, host to the 2008 Summer Games, was given another advice -- to push back the time of venue construction.

Beijing has planned to complete the venue construction by the end of 2006, but the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2008 Olympic Games said on Friday that "this is very ambitious and perhaps even a bit too early".

"We should not forget that venues would then be ready 20 months before the Games and this might turn out to be rather expensive, in terms of maintenance and with a limited use during such a long period," said Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the coordination commission.

Verbruggen said in his report to the 116th IOC Session that to slow down in venue construction, and therefore limit costs and expenses, would be fully in line with the cost-control principle adopted by the IOC since the year of 2002.

"Venue construction should be finished at least one year before August 2008 when the Games will take place," said Verbruggen.

But his proposal sounded like nothing but music to the IOC members, who had been worried about the delay in venues construction for the Athens Olympics.

"This is the first time in my Olympic life that I have heard about the host city needs to delay their venue construction," said IOC president Jacques Rogge with laughers from the floor followed.

Beijing organizing committee told reporters on the same day that their promise in their candidature files to deliver the venues by the end of 2006 is actually in line with the request by the coordination commission.

"The venue construction should be completed at a right time, neither too early nor too late," said Liu Jingmin, executive vice president of Beijing organizing committee.

"What we said in the bid book is to complete the construction of the stadiums by the end of 2006, then we will do the installation and testing by 2007, so it doesn't run contradictory to the IOC request," said Liu.

"All the venues will be ready in succession in the year of 2007," he added.