IOC president Jacques Rogge offered rave reviews of the athletes' village Tuesday after looking at the place he'll call home for part of the Vancouver Olympics.
Rogge and members of the International Olympic Committee executive board visited the $1 billion waterfront village Tuesday where about 2,700 athletes and team officials will be staying during the games.
``People who have experienced more games tell me that it's the best village they have seen,'' Rogge said, adding that the same applies to the athletes' mountain village in Whistler.
The IOC officials attended an Olympic Truce ceremony in the village plaza, inspected a residential apartment, toured the leisure and game center and ate lunch in the giant dining hall.
``Everything that I've seen is really outstanding,'' Rogge said. ``It's a prime location, good quality building with lots of comforts for the athletes. It's also going to leave a great legacy for the city.''
He said the acoustics of the rooms are also crucial.
``Sometimes after a victory an athlete can make some noise,'' he said. ``You need to make sure the other athletes are not woken up.''
Rogge, who competed in sailing for Belgium at three Olympics, has chosen to stay in the athletes' villages since he was elected IOC president in 2001.
``I'm just going to my room now to check the quality of my mattress,'' he said.
Rogge said he expects to sleep in the Vancouver village about 40 percent of the time. Otherwise, he'll be staying at the official IOC hotel because of morning meetings.
The village has 1,100 units, which will be sold off to the public after the Olympics. Local organizing committee VANOC contributed $30 million to the project, while the cost and construction of the village was the responsibility of the city of Vancouver.
During the tour, a few athletes in their national colors stopped and stared at the IOC delegation. Others worked on their laptops or played video games in the lounge equipped with pool tables and Wii consoles.
The dining hall offered food from around the world and, of course, McDonald's. The IOC members ate with paper plates and plastic forks like everyone else. Rogge munched on cheddar cheese, British Columbia salmon, pasta, a diet cola and a chocolate bar.
Walking out of the dining hall was Eric St. Pierre, a U.S. team chiropractor who works with short-track speedskaters.
``The village is phenomenal,'' he said. ``It's a little town, a city. It has everything. The food is wonderful, the people are so friendly. The athletes have everything they need.''
The IOC visit began with a ceremony marking the Olympic Truce, an initiative backed by the U.N. General Assembly calling for a cessation of hostilities during the games. The appeal is based on a tradition observed during the ancient games and revitalized in 1992.
``Sport cannot enforce peace,'' Rogge said. ``Sport cannot change the world, but it can make its citizens better.''
The ceremony was attended by Canada's governor general, Michaelle Jean, who will officially open the games Friday night. She and others paid tribute to the victims of last month's earthquake in Haiti.
Unveiled at the ceremony were ``truce installations'' consisting of two pillars featuring Aboriginal artworks. Part of the pillars will be auctioned after the games to support relief efforts in Haiti.
