China's largest ever Olympic national delegation became the first to officially check into the Olympic Village for the Beijing Games on July 27, the day it was opened officially to athletes.

Less than 5 km northwest of the Games' centerpiece venue, the National Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will take place, the sprawling complex of 66 hectares will provide accommodation for 16,000 athletes, coaches and their entourages.

As the first national delegation to officially enter the compound, the Chinese delegation held a ceremony to raise its national flag in the village. A handful of sports stars, including the Athens Olympics 110-meter hurdles champion Liu Xiang and NBA star Yao Ming, were among about 100 athletes who were present at the ceremony. The Chinese delegation to the Games has 1,099 members, including 639 athletes.

The Cuban and Polish Olympic delegations checked into the Olympic Village on the same day.

Deng Yaping, a former Olympic table tennis champion as well as the spokeswoman and deputy director of BOCOG Olympic Village Department, was quoted on July 25 saying that 46 countries had had some representation in the village since its preliminary opening on July 20.

Athletes from several countries residing in the village before its official opening have praised its facilities. Deng said the Olympic Village had met the complicated technical standards and specifications for facilities set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), such as the size of rooms and the number of athletes in one apartment. Following the IOC regulations, every apartment will house eight athletes. Each has been equipped with broadband Internet access, a telephone, cable TV, closed-circuit TV, an infrared anti-theft alarm and a fingerprint lock.

Deng said all the beds in the Olympic Village can be extended to 2.2 meters in length, and to ensure a good sleep for giant athletes such as the 2.26-meter basketball center Yao, an inbuilt stool at the end of the bed can be pulled out to further extend it.

Chen Wenbin, head coach of men's weightlifting squad, said "coming into the village made me really feel the pulse of the Games and it will add impetus to our athletes."

Chen said the Chinese weightlifters will check into the village around August 5 and stay until their events end around August 18.

"We will arrange training programs for the weightlifters after they move in, but before that, we need to send staff here to see to accommodation and dining and make sure everything is OK," he said.

The sprawling village is divided into three sections including the international area, residential area and operations area. Diversified meals, along with customized beds, space for religious masses and entertainment facilities, are part of the efforts to provide a comfortable stay for the athletes.

It contains a main restaurant that can feed 6,000 people, teahouses, coffee shops, a barbershop, post office, shops, a library and a clinic. There are also entertainment facilities such as a swimming pool, a gym, a tennis court, running tracks and an Internet cafe.

Other relaxation activities for athletes and coaches include exhibitions on Chinese folk art and performances of Chinese traditional dancing and singing every night, which will add color to their Olympic experience.

In line with IOC regulations, a religious center has been set up in the village. Worship rooms are arranged for major religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism.

The total of 42 apartment buildings in the village were built with energy saving technology, water recycling systems, environmentally friendly construction materials and solar-powered lighting. The Chinese delegation will occupy two apartment buildings, which have altogether around 200 apartments.

The Olympic Village will close on August 27 and reopen as the Paralympic Village on August 30 until September 20.

Figures of the Village

22 square meters-per-capita living space

2.2 meters-the longest bed, which can be further extended using an inbuilt stool

100-foreign staff working

2,300-chefs from around China

8 days-how long the menus last without repeating any dish