SEOUL: The “paradise” disco has its dance floor clear and its big loud speakers in place, and exercise bicycles with built in video games are lined up and waiting for athletes moving in for the Olympic Games.
Some French officials said with the buildings set close together, a common practice in Seoul and other Asian cities, the village had a less spacious feeling than previous Olympic villages.
Security is tight, with all roads around the village closed to traffic, metal detectors at all gates and X-ray machines to check hand baggage. Troops with automatic weapons stand guard along outer fences. “We have exerted every effort to make the Olympic village a secure environment. Security is our great concern. We need your understanding for any inconvenience you may encounter for the sake of security measures,” said Seoul Olympic Organising Committee president Park Seh Jik.
Olympic village mayor Kim Yong Shik said, “The real significance of the Olympic Games means not only the sports competitions but also the living together of the youths from all nations, for building close friendships among them.”
Athletes from 161 nations are entering the Games,
Article extracted from this publication >> September 16, 1988
