QINGDAO - The melody of Rod Stewart's "Sailing" was flowing out of the downtown shopping mall. Taxi drivers dressed in white shirts with black ties were waiting in line at the airport. Sailing boats with colorful national flags were speeding against waves on the sea.
A view of the sailing venue of the Beijing Olympic Games in Qingdao August 5, 2008. [Agencies] |
Qingdao, where the 2008 Olympic sailing tournament will be held on August 9-21, is gearing up to provide the best possible service for some 400 athletes from 62 countries and regions, who will compete in nine classes for eleven golds.
"Qingdao boasts the fullest preparations for the Olympic sailing among the eight Olympic sailing regattas that I have attended," said International Sailing Federation (ISAF) President Goran Peterson.
"Everyone is so passionate, happy and cheerful. I feel the whole city is ready," he added, after visiting the Olympic sailing center on August 4.
A total of 320 athletes from 60 teams have checked in the Olympic Village as of August 5, experiencing the convenience and coziness of the closest village to the Olympic venue.
"It is very comfortable. It's just two minutes' walk from the marina. That's perfect. In Athens, we were really far. In Sydney, It was one hour from the village to the harbor," said Sandra Azon from the Yngling class of the Spanish sailing team, who won a silver medal in 470 class in Athens 2004.
Azon said the Qingdao Olympic Village was a combination of East and West. "You can find unique traditional Chinese decorations everywhere. In our rooms, however, it is modern, like in Europe. I really feel at home," she said, while filming the lobby of the Olympic Village.
Thanks to the great efforts made by the local government to keep the algae out of the sailing venue, sailing teams from different countries and regions all gave thumbs up for the water condition at the Olympic sailing center.
"Look, (I can see) the fish. The water is clean," said Lionel Cottin, technique official of the French sailing team, adding that the water condition in Qingdao improved a lot from two years ago when the team first arrived for training.
"The whole area is very good. It's a good condition for the competition," he said.
Down to the water and up in the sky, the real time weather forecast has been adopted to ensure a safe and smooth sailing condition for the sailors, according to Wang Xiaoyun, head of the Qingdao Meteorological Bureau.
