Beijing Olympic Village Opens
The Beijing Olympic Village has opened 12 days prior to the Games’ opening ceremony with the first athletes already checked in to the main complex.
China’s basketball star Yao Ming and hurdler Liu Xiang were present for a flag-raising ceremony at the heavily guarded site.
The opening came on a muggy morning and correspondents reported a haze of pollution over the village’s complex of luxurious, high-rise apartments. In all 16,000 competitors will stay there during the games.
Solar energy will power some of the buildings, and unlike most of China, residents will be able to drink the water straight from the tap. Specially extended beds have been installed for taller athletes.
Food safety is a concern in China, so everything served to the athletes will have undergone spot checks at mobile laboratories.
The flats will be refitted and sold after the Olympics. Reports say they will cost up to $1m (£500,000) – considered a high price even in Beijing’s soaring property market.
