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)