About one week before the official opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, the teams of host China began to move into the Olympic Village in batches on Friday.
According to Cui Dalin, deputy head and secretary-general of the 1,099-member Chinese Olympic delegation, the Chinese men's and women's hockey squads and the baseball team moved in on Friday, becoming the first group of Chinese Olympic villagers. Other Chinese teams and athletes will come group by group afterwards according to their match schedule.
The Chinese delegation was the first to check in by raising its national flag when the Olympic Village officially opened last Sunday. However, instead of staying in the village, all the Chinese Olympic teams chose to stay in their training camp.
"All the Chinese athletes are in a solid form now. After moving in, they will make good use of the limited time for last-minute practice. Meanwhile, they will take a good rest for the upcoming competitions, "Cui said.
The village, which sits in the northern part of Beijing, is divided into three sections - the international area, residential area and operations area. It contains a main restaurant that can feed 5,000 people, its own fire-station, teahouse, coffee shops, a barber shop, post office, library, shops and a clinic.
Cui believed that the Chinese athletes would enjoy a comfortable stay in the village.
China sends a 1,099-member delegation, including 639 athletes, to the Beijing Olympics, which is its largest ever contingent to the Olympic Games. The Chinese athletes will compete in 262 events of 28 sports.
(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2008)