All you need to know about The Olympic village accommodation

Posted on Friday, August 6, 2021

The Olympic Games were first hosted by the ancients greeks over 2,700 years ago in Olympia. They were considered a religious festival and were held in order to honour the greek god of the sky, Zeus. Obviously, since then, a lot has changed, for example wrestling is no longer done in the nude and it is not generally expected that one of the athletes will be killed by the other… One rule that hasn’t changed, is no eye gouging is allowed. But I digress, the games have evolved over the centuries and become what we now know as the modern Olympics. One of the the more recent additions to the is the “olympic village” which is where all the athletes and teams stay during the games. Before this, each country would have to book their own accomodation before arriving which often became very expensive and crowded. So in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, the organisers decided to build some cabins next to the stadium to house the Athletes. This worked so well that  a few years after this, at the 1934 Los Ageles Games, the first large scale "Olympic vilage” was built to host everyone involved, it is on this model that modern Olympic villages are based. 
 
There was a time when it was quite easy to walk into the Olympic village if you could prove that you were involved in the games in someway. But, after the “Berlin Massacre in 1972, Olympic villages have had very tight security, this year is no different. In fact this year, because of COVID 19 concerns, the security is even higher, only athletes, trainers and official staff are allowed into the village and they must have the right documents and a negative tests before entering. Even the family of those competing are not allowed in without very special circumstances. Tightened security aside there are many perks for athletes staying in the village, a big one being, everything is free! The accomodation, the food, the training facilities, entertainment centre, everything. This is especially beneficial for those countries who do not have as many resources, they can check in to the village earlier and have a safe place to stay, train and prepare without having to worry about finances. The actual accomodation is organised by country, the larger Olympic countries, like Great Britain, America and China, get their own block for their athletes and support staff. Smaller Olympics countries might share a block with their closest geographical neighbour. 
 
The Tokyo 2020 (taking place in 2021) Olympic village was constructed in the Harumi waterfront district of the city. The residential units used by athletes during the Tokyo 2020 Games, will be renovated for use as general residential apartments once the Games have concluded. The residents of the village during the games are often envied by the rest of the world, and for good reason, the ammenities are world class and the rooms themselves aren’t bad either. They are supplied with cardboard beds… Now this may seem like an attempt to cut costs but in actual fact it’s not. It's just Japan showing their talent for innovation and eco friendliness, the beds are perfectly comfortabe but also 100% recycable! The dining hall in the Tokyo village boasts roughly 700 food options, catering for all preferences including, Halal, vegetarian, gluten-free etc. On top of that it is open around the clock! When it comes to unwinding and relaxing there is a plethora of options including masages, gyms and the state of the art multi-function complex, which has hundreds of activities to keep athletes busy and happy in their free time. 

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