Olympic Village has ‘soft’ opening

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The Beijing Olympics athletes’ village had a ‘soft’ opening over the weekend.

‘The advance men from 12 national Olympic committees’ checked into the village on Sunday, Yin Lei, an organizing committee staff member at the village’s arrival and departure center, told the New China news agency.

About 16,000 Olympians, coaches and officials will call the village home during the Games, which begin Aug. 8. The 42-building complex in Beijing has a hospital, a bank, retail shops, places of worship, restaurants, a swimming pool and gyms.

The ‘hard’ opening will be on July 27. The village also will serve as home for the world’s Paralympians, and then be turned into public housing.