Residents of the Beijing's Olympic Village this summer will enjoy all the amenities and luxuries expected of the international sporting event, with a real taste of China thrown in, officials have said.

"The services we will provide at the Olympic Village will be up to the standards of previous Games," Deng Yaping, deputy director of the Olympic Village department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, said yesterday.

"We also want to impress all the residents with the village's Chinese characteristics.

"We want all the athletes and officials to know they are in the Beijing Olympic Village, and not anywhere else in the world."

The Olympic Village will accommodate 16,000 athletes and officials during the Games, before going on to be the Paralympic Village in September.

Covering about 66 hectares and located just 3 km from the major sporting venues, the village will comprise a residential zone; an international zone, with banks, shops and cafeterias; and an operational zone, for transport and logistic facilities.

Deng, who is a four-time Olympic table tennis champion, said there will be two main cafeterias in the residential zone catering to the dietary needs of the residents.

The larger of the two will be able to accommodate 5,000 people, while the smaller one will provide special Chinese food and dishes from other countries.

Deng said areas for worship and meditation - covering Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism - will be available in the residential zone.

"The areas will meet all the requirements set by the International Olympic Committee," she said.

(China Daily January 16, 2008)