Chinese national flag hoisted at Olympic Village

Members of the Chinese sports delegation attend the flag-raising ceremony inside the Games Village in London July 25, 2012.??[Photo?/ Xinhua]

LONDON - In its first official appearance as member of the London Olympic family, the Chinese sports delegation joined several other nations in the traditional welcome and flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday inside the Games Village in east London.

More than 50 athletes and officials from Team China attended the ceremony, which was presided over by Tessa Jowell, the village deputy mayor.

Welcoming the athletes, Jowell said the ceremony set a tone that would be continued throughout the London 2012 Games.

The welcome is open-hearted and captures something that is very special about British culture, Jowell said. "In the Olympic Village our role is to make sure every athlete is supported, looked after, and nurtured to do their very best."

The 30-minute ceremony was played out by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. The athletes and delegates were entertained by local youngsters with lovely musical performance complemented by some acrobatic moves.

The traditional exchange of gifts took place after the flag-raising ceremony, with Liu Peng, chef de mission of the Chinese Olympic delegation, giving the village deputy mayor a large blue and white porcelain plate.

The star attraction of the Chinese contingent at the ceremony was basketball player Yi Jianlian. He was confirmed to be the flag-bearer of China at the Games opening ceremony.

"I was honored and grateful that I could have the opportunity," Yi answered briefly when asked about his role as flag-bearer.

Yi, 24, started his career as a professional player in south China's Guangdong Province. He joined NBA in 2007 and played for the Washington Wizards before he came back to China amid the NBA lock-out.

China fielded a 396-strong delegation featuring 33 Olympic champions to the July 27-August 12 Games in London. It captured 51 golds, 21 silvers and 28 bronzes in Beijing, relegating the United States to the second place in the number of golds.

The performers danced to the song "We Are the Champions" and ended with a salute to the athletes.

After China, the flags of Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kenya, Samoa and Suriname were also raised in the same ceremony.

The Olympic Village, with its 11 residential blocks and more than 16,000 beds, will be home to the world's strongest and fastest people in the coming three weeks.