The Beijing Olympic Village, the No. 1 village in the world

A corner of the Olympic Village

When the 66-hecatre Beijing Olympic Village welcomes its 16,000 residents from 204 delegations this summer, there may be no village in the world that can compare with it. The Olympic Village offers complete facilities and services in regards to food, entertainment and transportation. Over 300 gold medals will be given to athletes staying in the Village.

The Beijing Olympic Village lies in the northern part of the city along the central north-south axis. The Forbidden City in the center of Beijing and the Temple of Heaven in the south are both located along the same axis. The Olympic Village is situated in the Olympic Green, adjoining the Forest Park in the north and connecting with the main stadium area in the south. It is less than three kilometers away from the Bird's Nest. Among similar Olympic villages from other Olympic Games, the Beijing Olympic Village is probably in closest proximity to the Olympic venues.

Dormitories for athletes in Olympic Village

The Olympic Village will open formally on July 27, 2008, and close on August 27, 2008. The village is divided into three districts -- the residential district, the international district and the operations district. These districts will provide accommodation services, commercial service and logistics and traffic services, respectively. ID verification will be done as residents and staff move between the three districts.

The residential district includes 12 service centers that offer accommodation services and relevant information. The restaurants here offer round-the-clock service and a variety of cuisines to meet the needs of the delegations from different cultural backgrounds and religious traditions.

The international district to the north will offer service facilities such as a barbershop, Internet café, post office, UPS service station, Olympic souvenir shop, supermarket, DVD room, DVD recording room, recreation room, club, karaoke hall, exercise room, tourism services room and five religion halls.

The first Olympic Village was established in 1924. The purpose of the village is to ensure that all athletes have the same accommodations and access to facilities regardless of which country or region they are from.

After the Olympic Games, the apartments of the Olympic Village will be transformed for residential use.