Beijing Sunday broke ground on the Olympic Village, home to some
16,000 athletes and sports officials during the 2008 Olympic
Games.
The Olympic Village is scheduled for completion by the end of
2007 and handover to the Beijing Oragnizing Committee (BOCOG)
at the beginning of 2008.
It will open to receive athletes two weeks prior to the start of
the Games.
The Olympic Village will also accommodate 7,000 people during
the Paralympics.
Located in the Olympic Green in north of the Chinese capital,
the Olympic Village consists of a residential area and an
international area, covering a total area of 660,000 square
meters.
In additional to 22 six-story buildings and 20 nine-story
buildings, the village has a hospital, a library, a track, two
gyms, restaurants, swimming pools and tennis courts.
According to BOCOG, the apartments will be renovated and sold to
the citizens after the Paralympic Games.?
(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2005)
