A virtual peek into the Olympic Village
Thursday, 7th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
While tourists coming to Beijing for the Olympics will be running from the Forbidden City to Wangfujing to Houhai, the athletes will spend most of their free time holed up in the Olympic Village. BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games) has been telling us for months that the village is spectacular, but they of course do not represent an objective observer.So CST checked in with Heather Petri of the U.S. water polo team, who moved into the village with her teammates earlier this week. She gave a rave review of the place that 2008's Olympians will call home.
"It's simply amazing," says Petri, a three-time Olympian. "It's right up there with Sydney. The way they put everything together gives it a very special feel, and things are seamless. The grounds are beautiful and the food is great." She's had the chance to sample a little local fare, including Peking duck whipped up by IOC chefs.
And between workouts athletes have plenty of distractions. "There's tons of stuff to do—an arcade, Internet center, pool table, disco, outside pool," Petri says. Her only complaint is that she can't share photos from inside.
Petri and the American women open Olympic competition against China August 11. She is blogging about her Olympic experience here.
Tags: Beijing Olympics, Heather Petri, Olympic village, Olympics, water polo