The Olympic villages have opened their doors in Beijing and Qingda The Olympic village of the XXIX Olympiad, the most symbolic site of the Games, is a place where dreams will still be possible. The Olympic Village will not only be a place for dreams, but quite simply a dream place. There the athletes will find exceptional living conditions and peace and tranquility far from the commotion of the Games. The beds will be two metres long. For giants such as Chinese basketballer Yao Ming, who is 2.26m tall, units have been specially designed that will be added to the beds to provide every comfort necessary. The athletes will live in an authentic environment. The village is divided into four zones, each of which has been allocated a traditional Chinese totem: the vermillion bird, the pi xiu (a mythical Chinese creature), the fish and the dragon. The Olympic Village is also setting an example from an environmental point of view. No less than 6,000 square metres of solar panels will produce hot water for the 16,800 residents; and, using recycled water from a cooling system, it will be possible to save up to 40 per cent in electricity. The use of non-polluting materials was essential throughout the construction. The village is also fully accessible for the Paralympic athletes. The place to be -- apart form the training halls and games rooms will undoubtedly be the huge restaurant. There will be something to cater to all tastes and desires. Watch out, however, for your waistline. More than one athlete has been seduced by the Olympic Village food in the past and left a few kilos heavier. The advice from an expert: enjoy it after the competition! As usual, the IOC president will sleep in the Olympic Village, in an ordinary room, identical to those of the other athletes. The practice, born in Salt Lake City, was repeated in Athens and Turin. "I appreciate having contact with the athletes enormously. Sharing a meal with them, playing a round of pool and strolling among these stars will be among the highlights of my presidency," Jacques Rogge underlined after the Turin Games. The period of the Olympic Games is defined as "the period commencing on the date of the opening of the Olympic Village for the Olympic Games", namely 27 July 2008, up until and including the day of the closing ceremony on 24 August. With the opening of the Olympic Village, the IOC anti-doping rules have come into force. There has been an increase in the number of tests, up from 3,600 in Athens to 4,500 in Beijing, serving as a clear demonstration of the IOC's commitment to ensuring that athletes play fair. As a general rule, all top five finishers plus a further two will be tested. The tests include pre-competition controls which have proved to be decisive. Of the 4,500 tests, around 700 to 800 will apply to urine EPO detection and 900 will be blood tests. Specific new elements of the rules states an athlete may be notified and tested more than once during the same day; the fact that athletes who miss a test on two separate occasions during the Games, or on one occasion during the Games plus twice in the 18 months beforehand, will be considered to have committed an anti-doping rule violation; and possession of any substance from the list of prohibited substances will constitute a violation (previously only a selection from the prohibited list applied). As the ruling body for the Olympic Games, the IOC will delegate responsibility for implementing doping controls to the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They will act under the IOC's authority. The IOC Medical Commission will be responsible for overseeing all doping control processes on-site, which will be in full compliance with the IOC anti- doping rules, the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standard for Testing. The tests will be conducted at 41 doping control stations, 34 located in Beijing and seven in the co-host cities. All venues will be equipped with a standard doping control station where blood and urine can be collected. The samples will be analysed from between only 24 and 72 hours, depending on the kind of test.
