Olympic Village life: loads of leisure

[August 06, 2008]  BEIJING (AP) -- Surrounded by dozens of amusement possibilities in the Olympic village -- pool tables, tennis and basketball courts, swimming pool, leisure center -- Polish race walker Rafal Augustyn chose a different way to kill time waiting for his big day: Chinese lessons.

He was the only student in the village's "Chinese Learning Center" on Tuesday, practicing with his teacher.

"I know my Polish language is very difficult to learn, so I wanted to try another difficult one," Augustyn said. His teacher has already given him the name "Hao Rui," which translates roughly as "The Auspicious One." He has already learned to write the name in Chinese characters.

"I find it sort of relaxing," Augustyn said. "I just want to be able to say `hello' or say `the food is very good.' I know in Polish that's not easy to learn."

The other 16,000 athletes and officials checking in might have other ideas about chilling out, which is what the village is about anyway. It's a little city -- a touch of home and a small slice of China -- just a 25-minute walk from the Olympic Green.

The check-in has been going on for 10 days, long enough for national flags to be hung from windows, and down the sides of the 50-odd apartment buildings in the complex. A huge Egyptian flag nearly covered the side of a six-story building, and the Greek delegation chose to blanket its exterior with dozens of smaller flags.

IOC president Jacques Rogge has already called this the "best" Olympic village in history. It's certainly the best equipped. Better still, there's no charge for the food, using the gym, checking out movies or other forms of entertainment.

The village contains a dining area that can feed 5,000-to-6,000 in a two-hour stretch and there are thousands of choices in an eatery that's open 24 hours a day. The roast duck is a favorite so far.

"Surprisingly, that is at the top of the list," said Catherine Toolan, who oversees Olympic catering for Aramark, the Philadelphia-based company that is running the operation.

The village also has a library, clinic, plenty of shopping, coffee shops, bank, manicured gardens, an amphitheater and even its own fire station. The apartments are modestly decorated in marble and wood, with many balconies overlooking police posts ringing the complex.

The village contains 3,276 apartments, a mix of three- and four-bedroom units. Some bedrooms seemed spacious; others look cramped, unless your are a female gymnast. The standard bed is two-meters (6 feet, 7 inches) long, though many offer 40 centimeter (16-inch) extensions for tall basketball players.

Among the more striking features of the village are the entry gates, the types seen in Chinatowns around the world. However, these gates have a modern, squared-off look. At the East Gate, a phoenix -- a sign of good fortune in China -- is depicted in red and gold and floats though a cloud design that is also being used on the Olympic torch.

After the Olympics and Paralympics, the apartments will be converted and sold for between $500,000 and $1 million, high even in Beijing's soaring property market.

In a quick survey of a dozen athletes, there were few complaints. The few differences of opinion centered on Beijing's air quality, which seems to be improving with about two million cars off the roads, factories shuttered, and most construction banned in Beijing.

"The air is not so bad, it could be worse," said Latvian beach volleyball player Martins Plavins, who was shooting pool. "This is my first Olympics and I didn't know what to expect, but it's better than I thought."

Sipping coffee in the dining area, German rower Urs Kaufer was less glowing.

"We all had some breathing problems when we arrived, but it's gotten better day to day," Kaufer said. "I can say the food tastes good and the quality -- I think it's OK for sportsmen."

If athletes have medical problems, there's a clinic on the premises where treatment, like everything else, is free.

Dr. Ma Sui runs the clinic, which is staffed by about 200 physicians.

Asked if he had treated any athletes for breathing problems, Dr. Ma smiled and replied: "Not yet."

"We did have someone come in for psychological treatment, but that was a Chinese who was apparently under too much stress on an Olympic job," he said.

[Associated Press; By STEPHEN WADE]

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