Asian Games Athletes' Village Unveiled

Organizers of the Asian Games in Incheon gave journalists a sneak peek at the athletes' village on Tuesday.

The newly built facilities will accommodate around 14,500 athletes and officials during the competition and house a cafeteria, healthcare center, and supermarket as well as jacuzzis for tired feet and a nail art shop.

The village will open its doors on Sept. 12 and the Games open on Sept. 19. This is the third time that Korea is hosting the Asian Games. Seoul hosted them in 1986 and the southern port city of Busan in 2002.

The athletes' village is around 40 minutes by car from the main stadium in the port city. A total of 22 apartment buildings have been built that can hold 15,000 people, with flats available in three different sizes: 72 sq.m, 84 sq.m and 101 sq.m. Each flat can sleep up to seven people.

The only drawback is that the rooms are not equipped with air conditioners. The organizing committee said average temperatures in Incheon range from 16 to 25 degrees Celsius in September, which is considerably cooler than in August, requiring only fans to stay cool if necessary.

Yoo Yong-sun at the organizing committee said guests would be provided with air conditioners if they need them.

The most noticeable facility is the cafeteria. There were many complaints during the 2002 Asian Games in Busan that the food served did not suit the tastes of many athletes and officials. As a result, this year's organizers paid particular attention to the quality of food.

Reporters got a taste of the food there for lunch and were mostly satisfied with the quality. In order to satisfy the varying culinary standards of athletes from the 45 participating countries, Korean, Asian, western and halal foods will be served.

The cafeteria is capable of serving 3,500 people at the same time, offering 83 different dishes 24 hours a day.

Elisa Lee, a former table tennis world champion serving as the mayor of the athletes' village, said, "Athletes need to eat and rest well in order to perform well, so we tried hard to put together the best facility seen so far."

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