Yao Ming's bed among memorabilia being auctioned

A picture shows the bedroom in Beijing Olympic Village. The bed used by China's giant basketball star Yao Ming at the Olympics will be among millions of items of memorabilia auctioned off after the Beijing Games, media said on Thursday.

The bed used by China's giant basketball star Yao Ming at the Olympics will be among millions of items of memorabilia auctioned off after the Beijing Games, media said on Thursday.

The bed will be the one that the 2.26-metre Yao sleeps on during his stay at the Beijing Olympic Village during the August 8-24 Games, according to reports.

It is one of about 200 million items used during the Games that will eventually go under the hammer in online bidding that started on Wednesday.

The auctions could fetch up to 1 billion yuan (145 million dollars).

"We will highlight items like Yao's bed for bidders," Xiong Yan, president of the China Beijing Equity Exchange, which will handle the auctions, said Wednesday.

"Obviously, the bidding will be hot. People will be looking for memorabilia," Xiong said.

The vast range of items that will be up for grabs will include furniture, sports equipment, electronics, and even some pieces of land used as temporary sports venues, the report said.

The size of Yao's bed was not detaied but officials have said previously Yao and other especially tall athletes will sleep on special, extended mattresses.

据媒体本周四报道，大批奥运纪念品将在北京奥运结束后被拍卖，其中包括中国篮球“巨”星姚明的奥运用床。

这张床是身高2米26的姚明将在8月8日至24日北京奥运期间在奥运村中睡的床。

这项在线拍卖已于上周三拉开帷幕。除姚明睡的床外，还有约2亿件奥运纪念品将参与拍卖。

拍卖总收入预计将达10亿元人民币（1.45亿美元）。

负责这项拍卖的北京产权交易所总裁熊焰于上周三介绍说：“我们将向竞拍者主推像‘姚明床’这样的特殊物品。”

他说：“拍卖肯定会很火爆。人们都想拍到些奥运纪念品。”

据报道，参与拍卖的大批物品将包括用过的家具、运动器材、家电，甚至还有一些用作临时比赛场地的地皮。

姚明睡床的具体尺寸尚未透露，但此前有关官员介绍，（奥运村）为姚明以及其他一些身材特别高大的运动员定制了特殊、加长的床垫。