Bustling Village Life for Athletes at New Olympic Home

(ATR) Bicycles zip around, athletes jog along a meandering two-lane track, while others mingle, conducting interviews with media in the international zone at what has instantaneously become a bustling Olympic Village.

Some 11,000 athletes are calling the enormous complex of 17-story buildings with its 3,600 apartments home for the next two weeks. An additional 7,000 coaches and support staff will add to the energy.

In the 1,200 square meter fitness center with its state of the art equipment, the Brazilian ladies rugby sevens team goes through a workout session with coaches and trainers.

"It’s very cosmopolitan and nice here, but we are here to a do a job so we must maintain the balance," Brazilian rugby player Beatriz Muhlbauer said about life in the village. "This morning I had breakfast with an Irish girl from rowing, so it was nice to have a chat and get to know someone knew."

"I’m the only one on our team from Rio, so many athletes have been asking me questions and I’m very happy to answer," Muhlbauer said. "It’s an opportunity to introduce my city and country to everyone."

A dress rehearsal for Friday’s opening ceremony parade of nations takes place in the international zone, while other athletes wait in line at McDonald's or take advantage of the Proctor & Gamble Salon where haircuts, manicures and other treatments are on offer.

As athletes stroll leisurely around the village, a specially equipped truck circles the $1 billion complex creating plumes of smoke as it emits a repellent to keep out mosquitoes, a precautionary measure to prevent any threat of the Zika virus.

Olympians can try local Brazilian specialties in the main dining hall, which is expected to serve up to 60,000 meals per day and uses plates and cutlery made of bio-degradable materials such as sugar cane and corn.

Czech professional cyclist Leopold König, who finished seventh in the 2014 Tour de France, said he is enjoying village life at his first Olympic Games.

"This is something extraordinary – it is beyond our sport and you can really feel the spirit here," König said. "The most crazy thing is the restaurant – I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kinds of cuisine in one place."

Taking a break from training, Olympians can battle head-to-head in officially licensed Olympic video games or consume virtual reality experiences at the Athletes Entertainment Center. For the first time onsite at an Olympic village, International Sports Multimedia, an interactive entertainment software company is providing the VR games. The VR experiences and high-tech console and arcade games are compatible with the Samsung Galaxy X7 phones, which all Olympians were given.

"For public knowledge, I just beat Ryan Cochrane in the 100-meter freestyle," joked Canadian swimmer Brittany Maclean about a virtual victory over her Canadian teammate. "I had to spin my arms a little faster than usual, but it was fun."

"It’s devastating, but there’s time to bounce back," kidded Cochrane, a three-time Olympian. "I’d say this is one of the nicest villages, the views, the entertainment center and it’s getting better by the day," he added.

"They’ve been having so much fun on the arcade machines and four can play head-to-head," said Aaron Kirby, the executive producer of ISM, who is overseeing the game center in Rio. "Lots of records have been broken and they are the most competitive people I’ve ever seen. It’s funny to see a tall basketball player playing against a little gymnast."

Down the road from the entertainment center, the Czech Republic and Slovakian Olympic teams share building 15, which is conveniently adjacent to the main dining hall, the transportation hub and an enticing palm tree lined swimming pool overlooking the grounds.

The walls of the Czech residence are adorned with cartoon drawings of legendary Olympic distance runner Emil Zatopek to inspire its athletes. The running legend’s likeness is lit up prominently in LED lights on the front of the building, a unique touch by the Czech Team.

Martin Doktor, the retired Czech Republic double gold medalist in canoeing, is serving as chef de mission for his country for the second time following Sochi 2014.

"Zatopek is more than a name, he’s an icon, even if some of our young athletes didn’t know him. He said when it's ‘getting tough, try harder’ – I’m happy he is our symbol here."

Doktor said his athletes are generally happy and enjoying their stay in the village thus far.

"It’s not so easy to accommodate the athletes in so many buildings here – we’ve had some small problems, but I think this is the best village ever."

Written by Brian Pinelli in Rio de Janeiro