A soft opening of the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village at Gold Coast was concluded at the weekend before competitors from 71 nations and territories begin to arrive later this week with Australia’s discus thrower Matt Denny and Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake expressing their delight with the quality of work done at the Village.
The Village site at Parklands, officially handed over to organisers in October, is located beside the Gold Coast University Hospital and lies on a 29-hectare site.
It is expected to house 6,600 athletes and team officials at the Games due to take place from April 4 to 15 in the Australian city.
The Village was broken up into a residential zone, an international zone and an operational zone.
Six multi-coloured residential areas include four pools, laundry services, refreshments and television and computer spaces.
All athletes and officials will reportedly be able to take home quilts from their beds afterwards which boast a distinctive indigenous motif and other hand-painted canvasses.
There is also a medical centre, a self service buffet-style dining hall and a gym designed by the Australian Institute of Sport.
Other features include a hairdressing salon, a smoothie bar and a total of 100,000 condoms.
There is also a seven-hectare green space “backyard” with walking paths and stages for live entertainment near a centrepiece sculpture inspired by the Gold Coast’s Natural Bridge rock formation and waterfall.
Australian athletes were the strongest critics of the Athletes’ Village at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after the build-up was overshadowed by reports of issues including poor wiring and blocked plumbing.
Athletes given an advanced preview this time around have given much more positive feedback so far.
“It’s a different world here,” discus thrower Matt Denny, who competed at Rio 2016, told reporters.
“Everything’s just clean, it’s all finished, it’s immaculate.
“There was nothing massive in Rio. The showers clogged up a few times and the toilet seat broke off.”
