The three Olympic Villages will accommodate 5,000 people during the upcoming 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. The Olympic Villages in Turin, Bardonecchia and Sestriere will be operating 24 hours a day, providing accommodation and services for the Olympic athletes, coaches, escorts and members of the National Olympic Committees. Here's a brief introduction...



The Turin Village
The Turin village is the biggest and is divided into five lots. The first ones will be handed over this month, the others by the end of November 2005.

The complex is divided into two zones, just like the ones in Sestriere and Bardonecchia. A residential area will house the athletes and the sports delegations, and an international area will become a common zone for the residents, guests and journalists.

The International Zone
To access the International Zone, visitors will have to be accredited or have a guest pass. The International Zone will offer the same services in all three villages: recreational and commercial facilities, including other amenities for the residents and guests.

The Village has been built in the area of Turin’s former General Markets, and will accommodate 2,500 people. It will include a polyclinic, restaurants and snack bars, a gym and religious service facilities. This village structure will be the ‘home’ of the hockey, curling, speed and figure skating and short track athletes.

The Bardonecchia Village
The Bardonecchia village will host the snowboard, biathlon and freestyle teams. This structure has been renovated and can house up to 700 people. After the Olympic Games it will become a residence.

The Sestriere Village
At Sestriere, the Olympic Village spreads out over three different structures, connected by a shuttle bus and pedestrian pathways.

The village of Sestriere will house athletes of the alpine skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, Nordic combined, luge, ski jumping and cross-country skiing disciplines. A total of about 1,700 people will stay in this village.

The three villages will open officially on 31 January 2006. The Sestriere and Turin villages will also provide accommodation and services for the athletes of the Paralympic Games in March 2006.