Part 2 - LA84 Foundation

19. Olympic Village
19.1
Basic Preparations
19.1.1
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Overview
Providing comfortable residential
environment and ample space for
relaxation were the conditions the
SLOOC had to meet in building the
Olympic Village.
Rule 36 of the Olympic Charter states
that the host country must provide an
Olympic Village where athletes and
officials can lodge together, and that
the village must be located as close to
the main stadium, training sites and
other supplementary facilities as
possible.
The SLOOC chose a site that met
these requirements. Special attention
was paid to promoting relaxation at
the village through high-quality service
and up-to-date facilities. Recreation
rooms were built in each delegation
living quarters, and the Athletes' Hall
in the International Zone was fully
equipped with entertainment facilities
for relieving the stress and strain of
training and competition.
The aim of the Olympic Village was
that it should be a place for
maintaining perfect physical
conditions, for promoting harmony
and friendship and for providing
utmost comfort and safety.
To this end, the Dining Hall and
Medical Center management sought
perfection. Meals were served from a
variety of menus to suit international
palates, high in calories provision, and
matched the quality of renowned
hotels. Different eating habits of
different religions and regional
customs were also taken into
consideration.
The Village Medical Center had
western medical services as well as
Korean herb medicine, and for the first
time in Olympic history, acupuncture
and moxacantery services were
added to the center.
International activities and arts programs
were prepared to enhance
harmony and friendship. Birthday
celebrations, national holidays,
industrial tours and Korean home
visits were carried out in addition to
official programs.
19.1.2
Charter Regulations and History
of the Olympic Village
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Olympic Charter Regulation
Prior to the construction of the
Olympic Village, the SLOOC and the
Seoul City had to determine the
expected number of athletes and
officials in order to decide on the site
and size of the village. The Olympic
Charter had to be carefully studied to
set up a plan that sufficiently met all
the practical requirements.
Rule 36 of the Olympic Charter
governing the Olympic Village and
living quarters states:
"The OCOG shall provide one Olympic
village for men and another for women
so that competitors and team officials
can be housed together and fed at a
reasonable price unless under special
circumstances which the IOC would
agree to consider. The Olympic
villages shall be at the disposal of the
teams for at least two weeks before
the opening ceremony and three days
after the closing ceremony of the
Olympic Games."
Rule 37 states: "Only competitors and
persons whose services are necessary
to the competitors may live in the
Olympic villages.
The OCOG must accommodate or
provide accommodation in the
Olympic villages for the personnel
attached to teams who have been
nominated by NOCs and stipulated by
the IOC according to the quotas set
out in the bye-law."
The SLOOC also sought to provide
accommodation for extra officials
whose lodging specifications were not
stated in the Olympic Charter but
whose duties required that they stay
close to the athletes for close
coordination. There were 295 extra
officials from 21 countries at the 23rd
Los Angeles Olympic Games, but
arrangements for a greater number of
extra officials had to be made at the
Seoul Olympics where a record
number of nations were expected to
participate. The SLOOC had to make
sure that there was no deficiency in
accommodation whatsoever and took
measures in 1986 to provide 6,000
rooms when building living quarters.
History of the Olympic Village
The ancient Olympiad in Greece was
begun in 776 B.C. with a religious
purpose and was held every four
years for a thousand years until 396
A.D. Tradition had it that athletes
would camp around the sacred
precincts of Elis, some 57km from
Olympia, at least 30 days prior to
competition. They would polish their
physical skills together with the
judges, and also paid great attention
to artistic performances as well. When
the competition began, athletes would
move to Olympia where they would
pitch tents or lodge in temporary
structures. This was, in fact, the origin
of the "Olympic Village."
After the modern Olympics was
revived, athletes were responsible for
arranging their own lodgings up until
the 10th Los Angeles Olympics in
1932. It was at this Los Angeles
Olympics that 550 bungalow
complexes were prepared to
accommodate the athletes. At the
1936 Berlin Games, 140 brick
structure complexes were provided,
each consisting of 13 rooms. Each
room could accommodate 24 to 26
male athletes and separate lodgings
were prepared for female athletes.
Regulations on constructing the
Olympic village were specifically
stipulated in the Olympic Charter in
1947, and in 1952 at the 15th Helsinki
Games, 13 housing complexes and
545 units furnished with modern
facilities formed the Olympic Village.
Except at the 23rd Los Angeles
Olympics in 1984 when university
dormitories were used in lieu of the
village, apartments were newly
constructed at other Games such as
in Mexico, Munich, Montreal and
Moscow.
19.1.3
Implementation
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The SLOOC was asked by the Seoul
City in March 1983 to collect
necessary data in drafting construction
plans for the Olympic Village and
the Press Village. One month later the
SLOOC presented a basic outline
featuring necessary building
requirements.
In October of the same year the
SLOOC completed a management
plan for the Olympic Village, and as
part of plan development, it held, in
1984, a meeting of past Olympic
participants. The SLOOC also
observed the Los Angeles Olympics
and invited the Montreal Olympic
Village Mayor for consultations.
The designing for the Olympic Village
was put to a public contest, and the
SLOOC completed the basic design
drawing in 1985. Between July and
September of 1986, details on facility
installations were compiled, and in
October of the same year, a final
decision was made on facility outlay.
In November, construction of the
Olympic Village began. The Seoul city
took charge of building 86 apartment
buildings comprising 3,692 units. The
undertaking was completed after 19
months on May 31, 1988, and the
village was handed over to the
SLOOC the next day on June 1.
The completion of the Olympic Village
was celebrated on this day in a
ceremony attended by President Roh
Tae Woo and IOC President
Samaranch, as well as some 300
other guests.
With the launch of construction in
1986, preparation of other functional
facilities was put to full gear. The
SLOOC designated in May 1987 the
official contractors for food services
and kitchen utilities. From June of the
same year, the SLOOC began
securing necessary operation
personnel for the Olympic Village, and,
in October, final plans were drawn up
for interior and exterior installations in
the village. Operation plans for
amenities/entertainment facilities were
determined in December, as well as
agreements with service contractors
and village operation plan.
As the Olympics year 1988 dawned,
the SLOOC finalized the preparations,
such as training of operation personnel,
living quarters arrangements,
service contracts, distribution of
operation materials and five
rehearsals. Beginning on July 1, the
SLOOC was placed under an actual
operational status.
1. Interior of Athletes' Hall with balcony
overlooking lounge area; special fiberglass
was used in fabrication of the roofing.
1