Beijing prepares for good and bad of Games one month out

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - With a month to go before the Beijing Olympics begin, the city was too busy preparing for the glory and inconvenience of hosting the world's biggest sports event to celebrate much on Tuesday.

Thousands are putting the finishing touches to a capital still being transformed for the August 8-24 Games, and officials are finetuning the rules they hope will keep the city clean, safe and controlled.

"It might be inconvenient during the Games as I cannot drive my car everyday, but I am happy and excited about the approaching Olympics," said Zhou Wenjin, a 46-year-old who works for the National Fire Department.

The Beijing Games have become one of the most scrutinised Olympic Games in history, with the final countdown to the event marred by violent unrest in Tibet in March followed by global anti-Chinese protests.

To date, 31 venues have been completed and the army of migrant workers are putting the finishing touches to a $40 billion (20 billion pound) upgrade of the city's once-creaking infrastructure.

Hundreds of cranes dot Beijing's skyline above half-built skyscrapers and work continues on two new subway lines originally planned to be finished at the end of June but now due to come on line next week.

Gangs of workers have been planting hundreds of thousands of plants along the city's main thoroughfares, while others are repainting grimy traffic barriers and marking out lanes on the roads to ensure Olympic traffic will run smoothly.

Beijing's army of volunteers are in evidence on the streets.