TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Star Athletes Enjoy Village Experience

ADVERTISEMENT

By MICHELLE KAUFMAN McClatchy Newspapers

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 21, 2008

BEIJING - The Brazilian soccer team checked into the Olympic Athletes Village on Monday, and chaos ensued. Ronaldinho, AC Milan's $37 million star, tried to stand in line with a tray at the 5,000-seat cafeteria, and was mobbed by volunteers and other athletes seeking autographs and photos.

The ever-smiling Ronaldinho tried to accommodate his fans, but things got so out of hand he had to be escorted to a seat by security guards and somebody else went through the line for him. The Brazilian team cut its lunch short because players felt trapped by their peers.

Similar scenes have erupted around tennis No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain, Chinese NBA star Yao Ming and German NBA star Dirk Nowitzki (both got custom 8-foot beds), and Argentine soccer hero Lionel Messi, all of whom turned down posh hotel digs for a chance to slum it with kayakers and archers in the Athletes Village.

They are sharing apartments with two to four roommates, eating in the dining hall, taking buses to venues, and passing the free time in the Internet cafe, fitness center and game room. The village houses 16,000 guests in 42 high-rise buildings. Each bedroom has two beds, a nightstand, lamp, mirror and closet. The walls are decorated with artwork drawn by Beijing schoolchildren. The rooms have no televisions and no Internet access.

The U.S. men's and women's basketball teams opted to stay at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in the financial district, but they have visited the Village often and eaten some meals there. To a man, the U.S. players said they did not want to feel isolated, like the 2004 team, which stayed on the luxury QEII cruise ship off the Greek coast. Nevertheless, they can't stroll around the Village like normal athletes. Every time they visit, they get swarmed.

Tampa's James Blake had initially checked into a hotel, but checked out after one night and moved to the Village. He is one of the rare professional tennis players who went to college, so communal living does not turn him off. On the contrary.

"At the hotel, it seemed like every other tournament," Blake said. "That's what we usually do, go from the hotel to the courts. The first time I had a meal in the Village, I saw the excitement of all the athletes, and since it was so early in the week, everyone has that Olympic ideal, that feeling like they're going to be on the gold medal stand. That, to me, is thrilling.

"I can deal with the smaller quarters, the sharing the rooms. I lived in dorms in college. It's not a big deal."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT