Beijing - Liu Qi, the president of the Beijing Olympic organizing committee (BOCOG), wants staff at the Olympic Village to provide "personalized services" for international athletes. Liu watched a test-run of flag-raising ceremonies for three mock delegations in early July, telling Olympic Village staff that they should "offer equal care and outstanding services to every guest" and urging them to pay special attention to security.
The government has strived to make the village an international setting that meets global standards, but incorporated traditional Chinese elements and modern environmental technology into the 42 buildings that are expected to accommodate some 16,000 athletes, coaches and officials, and 7,000 journalists.
Chen Zhili, the head of the complex, told state media that a well-designed and well-run Olympic Village was "a significant part of a highly successful Games".
The laundry service area alone will be staffed by 40 students fluent in foreign languages, the official China Daily reported.
Some 1,200 maintenance workers will be on hand, with problems guaranteed to be fixed within two hours, the newspaper said.
The athletes' apartments consist of three or four bedrooms around a living area, giving them an average of up to 22.5 square metres per person, compared with 19.5 square metres for Beijing residents and just 16 square metres at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Once they get their keys, the athletes will open door locks decorated with ancient dragon motifs and see ceramic ornaments of women in Tang dynasty-style costume in the entrance halls.
The village uses the old colours of Beijing's grey brick walls, white stone balconies, red lanterns and paper-cuts, and will have shops selling traditional handicraft items and space for cultural performances in the courtyard of the international zone.
"We have been pursuing the harmony between the structures and the environment," said Liu Rong of Beijing Guo'ao Investment Development, the main constructor, said during a recent tour of the village.
Liu said the builders had made extensive use of renewable energy, water recycling, energy saving technology, environmentally friendly construction materials and solar-powered lighting.
"Our resources-recycling system will make use of the waste water and solar energy to run the air-conditioners and provide hot water," Liu said.
"Through the system, 5 million kilowatts of electricity will be saved each year," she said.
Some 500 alternative-fuelled vehicles will be used for transport to and from the village and the Olympic venues, including 20 hydrogen fuel-cell Volkswagen sedans that will carry VIPs, officials and journalists.
Construction of the 66-hectare village began in June 2005, with the official opening on July 27 and a reopening for the Paralympics on August 30.
The northern section, designed mainly as a service area during the Olympics, will become part of the Olympic forest park afterwards.
Much of the main athletes' accommodation, in the southern area, has already been sold as upmarket commercial housing.
BOCOG said athletes will be prohibited from taking their own food into the village to ensure food safety.
The main dining hall will de divided into four zones offering Chinese, Asian, international and Mediterranean food.
The menu will include Halal, vegetarian, low-sugar, Indian and Kosher food, with cards to show their ingredients and nutritional value.
The government also is sending Christian and Muslim clergy from its state-run religious organizations to provide services in the village and will distribute thousands of free copies of the Bible in English and Chinese.
Yu Debin, a senior BOCOG official supervising the village, last month said about 2,700 hotel workers and nearly 5,000 student volunteers would work in the village during the games.
"Foreign guests' needs are at the heart of all our services," Yu said.
The staff were installing more than 20 million items in the village, he said.
Many of those items will be auctioned off after the games, including furniture, clocks, sports equipment and even light bulbs.
"This is not the first time Olympic organizers are auctioning memorabilia," said Xiong Yan, president of the China Beijing Equity Exchange, the BOCOG-approved auctioneers.
"But as far as I know, this will be the biggest," Xiong said.
One of the most expensive items could be the extra-long bed used by giant NBA basketball superstar Yao Ming, if injury does not rule him out of the Games.
"Obviously, the bidding will be hot," Xiong said. "People will be looking for memorabilia."
