As part of ramped-up security measures, Shenzhen Baoan International Airport will be closed for four hours from 7pm to 11pm during the opening and closing ceremonies scheduled for today and August 23, The Southern Metropolis News reported. With an average of 36 flights an hour handled at the airport, about 290 flights are expected to be affected by the closures.

Residents of luxurious apartments close to the stadium have been asked to leave their homes for five hours for security reasons during the opening ceremony, but to switch on the lights before they leave. Authorities said each household would be compensated for the power.

Additionally, more than 80,000 people deemed security risks have been kicked out of Shenzhen, and migrant workers have been warned not to petition, gather publicly or use any 'abnormal methods' to seek unpaid salaries during the Games.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old student living in Longgang district, where the World University Games Centre is located, was arrested after claiming in a chat room on Monday that he had installed explosives in a stadium. The student told police that it was a prank.

All these measures are Shenzhen's way of welcoming the rest of the world. And the city no doubt took a cue from the way Beijing cracked down on potential risks ahead of the 2008 Olympics.

Shenzhen Communist Party boss Wang Rong said last month that such measures were vital to ensuring that China was not embarrassed in front of the world, because 'any security incident can develop into an international matter during the Games, as people from different countries gather in the city,' according to The Southern Metropolis News.

Mainland media such as Sznews.com have reported that Shenzhen spent 12 billion yuan (HK$14.58 billion) over the course of 22 months giving 15,000 buildings along the city's 300 main roads facelifts, replacing the iron railings along roads that prevent reckless pedestrians from crossing, and renovating 25 main roads and tollbooths on 11 highways.

The city's Games bill also includes 4.1 billion yuan for the 60,000-seat outdoor World University Games Centre. Then there is the security cost - expected to be in the tens of millions of yuan and focused in large part on preventing potential social unrest. About 15,000 paramilitary police were dispatched to the city from Shanghai and across Guangdong province, plus 5,000 from Shenzhen. They are tasked with protecting public transport, sports venues, government headquarters and the borders with neighbouring cities Dongguan and Huizhou .

Last month, 950 people were arrested while trying to enter Shenzhen with banned items, including guns, bullets and explosives, the Nanfang Daily reported.

But all that spending is dwarfed by the 75 billion yuan invested in five subway lines that opened two months ago. The number of stations was raised from 18 to 118, and 157 kilometres of lines were added to link the city centre with the airport and outlying districts. There were previously just two metro lines.

Professor Cheng Jiansan, a researcher from the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, warned that Shenzhen could find itself debt-ridden from hosting the World University Games. 'Huge debts following heavy investment in infrastructure will definitely affect the city's future development, especially since the revenue from the Games is very slim,' he said.

To prepare for last year's Asian Games, Guangzhou spent 73 billion yuan building new subway lines, 19 billion yuan on renovation projects, and nearly 14 billion yuan building and operating stadiums. The New Express reported that Guangzhou was about 210 billion yuan in debt after the games, citing a provincial legislator.

'Ill effects brought by heavy debts may not emerge immediately, but local governments will have to bear the burden in the coming three to five years,' Cheng said.

Some officials have felt the pinch, but in different ways.

Corruption amid all that spending on infrastructure brought down former Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng, who represented Shenzhen in 2007 when it won the right to host the Games.

Xu was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in May for taking 33.18 million yuan in bribes.

Zhong Xinming, disgraced deputy director of Shenzhen's Longgang district, and his younger brother stood trial at Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday for corruption linked to the Games. Accusations against the two include taking a HK$33 million bribe from a businessman in 2008 and helping him to win development rights on land inside the newly developed World University Games Town.

Much of Xu's corruption was linked to Longgang district officials and construction companies contracted to build the Games' stadiums and athletes' village.

A reshuffle replaced all six of the city's district heads in November, but there was strong suspicion that more Shenzhen officials were involved in Xu's scheme, until party boss Wang reassured party cadres that the graft investigations were over.

Political analyst Jin Xinyi said that although the World University Games had enabled Shenzhen to swiftly develop the outskirts of Longgang district and upgrade the city's infrastructure, corruption scandals, overspending and the controversial security measures linked with the Games had actually eroded Shenzhen's reputation.

'The World University Games' influence in terms of promoting Shenzhen's international image has been overstated,' Jin said.

Referring to a slew of scandals, Jin said: 'Shenzhen can no longer expect the Games to bring much positive value to its image, but rather hope it won't bring too many ill effects.'

500m yuan

Is how much, in yuan, the World University Games Centre exceeds the Beijing National Stadium in costs