Taipei, Aug. 12 (CNA) The Taipei 2017 Universiade Athletes' Village officially opened Saturday in preparation for the arrival of over 10,000 delegates from around the world for the games.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said the village in New Taipei's Linkou District is the first of its kind in Taiwan and was built with the concerted effort of the central government and the governments of Taipei and New Taipei.
He pledged to make the visitors feel at home.
A total of 11,397 delegates from 131 countries, including 7,639 athletes, are expected to attend the Universiade, which formally opens on Aug. 19 and runs through Aug. 30.
The village consists of 34 buildings, including 23 that are designed for residential purposes with a total of 2,138 apartments. Each apartment can accommodate three to seven people depending on the size of the room.
The village's dining hall, meanwhile, has 3,500 seats and will operate 20 hours a day to provide 40,000 meals, which will cover Taiwanese, Asian, European/Mediterranean and Halal cuisines as well as vegetarian food.
As of Saturday, 350 people from 32 countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Taiwan, had arrived at the village, according to the organizers.
However, the Universiade organizing committee has yet to issue a list of the athletes competing at the games.
