Olympic village opens in Beijing
Updated
The Olympic village has been officially opened in Beijing.
Surounded by intense security, the 42 apartment blocks will be home to 16,000 athletes and officials over the next month.
Our reporter Karen Barlow was at the opening and says that with great pomp and ceremony under extremely hazy Beijing skies, the Olympic Village was opened to take the world's athletes, coaches and officials.
The home side is the first delegation to move in, but flags from teams such as Canada and the Czech Republic are already hanging down the sides of buildings.
The athletes' village is heavily guarded and is surrounded by two layers of cyclone fencing, plus a concrete fence.
The village's Mayor Chen Zhili says she hopes different habits, cultures and religions will be embraced by all the athletes.
Meantime, Olympic organisers say they are confident the heavy haze shrouding Beijing will disappear in time for the games.
Poor atmospheric conditions have worsened over the past few days.
Visibility is extremely poor in Beijing despite a week of air pollution control measures such as taking cars off the road and shutting down factories.
