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The Athletes Village
 The Athletes' Village |
Staff at the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village worked against the clock to prepare for
the arrival of the 5,650 athletes and officials from all around the
Commonwealth. Two years of planning had
gone into making sure that this was a home from home for the athletes some of whom were
in residence for 25 days as the Village operated from 15 July to 7 August 2002.
The Village complex covered 30 acres of land, which normally operates as the Fallowfield Campus of the University
of Manchester at Owens Park and the neighbouring Armitage Sports Centre. The facilities on offer included a food hall
the size of a rugby pitch, an amusement arcade, a cinema and a shopping complex among the temporary facilities.
The village was divided into two zones, residential and international, and accommodated
4,800 entrants from 72 nations, ranging from the 650-strong England team
to the single athlete representing St Kitts. For map of village, click
here.
The residential side was open only to athletes, their officials and 4,004 support staff, many of
whom were volunteers. Sportsmen and women were accommodated mainly two to a room in
3,340 bedrooms in 32 blocks in six student halls of residence. Some slept in bunk beds. Extra-long
beds were provided for tall athletes, extending the size from 188 cm to 220 cm.
In order to make
navigation around this large site easier it was divided into five colour zones (Coast, Dales,
Peaks, Lakes and Forest) and decorated with Manchester 2002 banners and paraphernalia to create
a Village atmosphere.
 The Athletes' Village Shopping Area |
The international zone consisted of a temporary village, with facilities for the athletes to eat, socialise and
entertain guests.
The main dining hall measured 4,275 square metres, with seating for 2,200 people.
The giant marquee, claimed to be the largest restaurant in Britain, was open 24 hours a day to serve
370, 000 meals over the Games period, catering for every kind of dietary need. The budget was about £3.5m. The Catering manager
who was in charge of catering for the athletes at the Sydney Olympics said: "Pizzas were a big favourite. We'll be serving at
least 500 a day. The other thing that was big with athletes was ice cream."
Athletes also had the option of eating in a casual dining area in the residential area or the nearby bar and bistro.
There was a general store, bank, florist, jeweller and engraver and dry cleaner. In the same complex was an information
point for the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Police were constantly on patrol throughout the village. Some roads surrounding it were closed, except to residents.
CCTV was installed throughout, fencing surrounded the site, baggage checks were compulsory at the Mag & Bag checkpoints
and specialist ex-military teams checked all vehicles.
Team Welcome Ceremonies were conducted between 15 and 24 July in the International Zone to officially welcome each of the 72
delegations to the Village. Each ceremony involved a speech of welcome by the Village Mayor followed by a presentation
of a gift from the organisers to the teams. The conclusion was the singing of the welcome song "The Mancunian
Way" by local school children.
 The Welsh Team waiting for the Team Welcome Ceremony |
 The Welsh Team marching to their Team Welcome Ceremony |