BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Village for the Beijing Games was officially opened Sunday morning as hundreds of Chinese athletes started checking into the 66-hectare compound.
Village mayor Chen Zhili announced its opening, which is about 20 minutes' walk northwest of the Games' two centerpiece venues - the Bird's Nest stadium and aquatic venue Water Cube. The sprawling complex houses about 16,000 athletes, coaches and their entourage coming for the Olympics
"We now welcome athletes from around the world to come to the Games," said Chen, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).
"We will try to satisfy the needs of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. We hope you will like the facilities and services, and achieve desirable results at the Games," she said.
The Chinese delegation was the first to check in by raising its national flag in the village. Athens Olympics 110 meters hurdles champion Liu Xiang and NBA star Yao Ming were among about a hundred athletes who were present at the ceremony.
At least two other delegations, Cuba and Poland, are scheduled to arrive at the village on Sunday.
China has announced that it will send the largest ever delegation of 1,099 members to the Games, including 639 athletes.
"As athletes from the host country, I hope you will present the peaceful, civilized and open stance of China," Chen told the Chinese delegation. She also had talks to the athletes and wished them good luck.
Chen Wenbin, the head coach of men's weightlifting squad, said "coming into the village made me really feel the pulse of the Gamesand it will add impetus to our athletes".
We will arrange training programs for the weightlifters after they move in, but before that, we need to send staff here to see to accommodation and dining and make sure everything is OK," he said.
The sprawling village is divided into three sections of the international area, residential area and operations area. It contains a main restaurant that can feed 5,000 people, its own fire station, teahouses, coffee shops, a barbershop, post office, shops, library and a clinic.
Diversified meals, along with customized beds, space for religious masses and entertainment facilities, are part of the efforts to provide comfortable stay for the athletes.
Other services like chances of learning the Chinese language and watching Chinese cultural performances are expected to add colors to their Olympic experience.
"The village is modern and nicely fitted," said Glenda Korporaal, a senior writer from The Australian newspaper who comes to cover the Games.
In line with IOC (International Olympic Committee) regulations, a religious center has been set up in the village. Worship rooms are arranged for major religions -- Christianity, Buddhism, Islamism, and Hinduism and Judaism.
The total of 42 apartment buildings in the village was built with energy saving technologies, water recycling system, environmentally friendly construction materials and solar-powered lighting. Some of the apartments have been sold out as up-scale residences.
Deng Yaping, a famed Olympic table tennis champion as well as the spokes-person and deputy director of the Olympic Village Department, said on Friday that 46 countries and regions have had some representation in the village since its preliminary opening onJuly 20. The village is expected to be fully lodged.
It will close on Aug. 27 and reopen as the Paralympic Village on Aug. 30 until Sept. 20.
