The 21st Universiade Village opened yesterday morning with a gala ceremony at which village officials and staff vowed to provide the athletes with excellent service.
The village will accommodate 6,000 sports delegates from over 100 countries and regions until September 4.
George E. Killian, president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), expressed his thanks at the ceremony to all the citizens of Beijing and China for the magnificent village.
"I look forward to a great Universiade, which will lead you to a great Olympics," said Killian.
The Cuban, Spanish, French and South African delegations moved into the village yesterday evening upon their arrival in Beijing.
"Everything is ready. I'm confident every athlete will have a nice stay in the village," said Zhang Jianmin, head of the village.
The village staff have been working very hard for the past three months, preparing for the athletes' arrival. "Our efforts made us so thin that the uniforms made three months ago no longer fit," joked Liu Jingmin, vice-mayor of Beijing.
The Universiade Village, covering 187,000 square metres, boasts 3,538 standard and air-conditioned apartments, and includes gardens, shopping malls, Internet bars, post offices and places for worship for Muslims, Catholics, Christians and Buddhists.
The athletes' dining hall in the village, with 3,000 seats, provides buffet around the clock. All the chefs come from five-star hotels in Beijing.
"I have practised cooking Muslim meals for four months in the village," said Yu Jianxin from the International Hotel.
"The clinic here is equipped with the best doctors and the most advanced medical facilities in Beijing. Actually we can perform every possible operation," said Yu Jianmin, a doctor from Beijing Hospital.
Security in the village is guaranteed by more than 100 policemen and hundreds of volunteers from nearby colleges and universities.
(China Daily 08/16/2001)
