Three Olympic Villages, two in Beijing and one in Zhangjiakou, officially opened their doors to athletes for the Beijing Winter Games on Thursday, eight days before the opening ceremony.
The villages in Beijing's Chaoyang and Yanqing districts include about 3,500 beds, while the village in Zhangjiakou, about 160 kilometers northwest of the Chinese capital, will accommodate some 2,800 athletes and team officials staying for the Feb. 4-20 games.
The Chaoyang village will predominantly house athletes competing in sports such as skating and the Yanqing village will be for sliding sport and alpine skiing athletes. The village in the Zhangjiakou zone will host skiers, snowboarders and ski jumpers.
The Japan women's ice hockey team is among those expected to arrive at the village Thursday afternoon with the players preparing for their first game against Sweden on Feb. 3 at the Wukesong Sports Centre.
