Volunteers get taste of Asiad Village life

DOHA, Qatar – More than 5,000 volunteers spent a day at the Athlete’s Village (AV) last Friday and half of them enjoyed a sleepover at the $600 million residential project that is set to be transformed into a state-of-the-art medical facility after the Asian Games Doha 2006.

The volunteer’s event is a gift from the Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee (DAGOC) after The Heir Apparent, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, fulfilled his promise to give them the opportunity to spend time in the Village and have a first hand experience of what life is like for the 10,500 athletes and officials who will be there for over a month.

The volunteer’s day, which also gave DAGOC the opportunity to test its accommodation and catering facilities and services, as well as transport movements from the AV to the Sport City for the Opening Ceremonies, included tours, lunch and dinner.

Arabic, South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian and continental cuisines were offered in the Village and will also be available during the Games to be held Dec. 1-15 with 4,200 palettes of food, 520,000 liters of milk and 11 million bottles of mineral water ready for the arrival of the delegates.

One hundred fifty thousand power bars and 13,000 gift boxes of local produce and dates will also be offered in the AV, which consists of 811 flats, a state-of-the-art medical center, a massive dining area, cinema hall, gym, mosque and parking facilities for at least 2,500 cars and 70 shuttle buses.

As of date, 27,000 Games Family and workforce members have already been fully accredited, while 58,500 of the estimated 80,000 workforce, athletes, VIPs and officials have been registered, with 5,000 accreditation cards activated and 5,500 paid staff and volunteers already uniformed.

Early next year, the Village will be modified to become part of Hamad Medical City and two days after the Games end, it will be closed and will be customized for medical use before being handed over to Hamad Medical Corporation in phases.

The AV, which has a retail center, local cultural village and athletes’ entertainment area and useful services such as post, banking and car rental for athletes during the Games, will officially open its gates on Nov. 15.