OLYMPICS/ Qing dao
Sailing mania breezes into coast and won't blow away
(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-09 11:22
QINGDAO: The Olympic spirit is soaring in Qingdao where a consensus exists that the current test regatta is the best sporting tournament ever staged off China's coast.
The seaside city in Shandong Province in the country's east is drowning in white sails during the 2007 International Regatta.
Roads, buildings, shop windows and even beaches all have been decked out in greeting slogans welcoming athletes.
Everywhere you go, posters of 2007 Qingdao International Regatta bear down from advertising billboards.
Banners, souvenirs, shirts and seemingly every conceivable accessory are available to fans on the city's streets.
"The people are very enthusiastic - I feel it very much," British team spokeswoman Lindsey Bell said.
Seventy masts almost 13m high were laid out on the junction between Fuzhou and Donghai Roads, where the national flags of 54 participating countries flap in the wind.
Haiqing Hotel has added western fare to its menu , which is adorned with illustrations depicting yachts and nautical scenery.
Rooms have also been decorated with the national flags of the athletes' countries and regions.
Sea View Garden Hotel swapped its courtyard umbrellas for new ones bearing the Olympic rings.
The nearby Huiquan Dynasty Hotel has also renovated its guest rooms and fashioned a drink list into the shape of a sailing boat.
"For us there is no problem of the organization, it is the problem of the wind," French fleet leader Alain Champy said from his lodgings at the Grand Regency Hotel.
Ji Yingqian, a 67-year-old volunteer in Badaguan, said her dream to get involved in the tournament has come true.
"I can speak Russian, Japanese, and English.
"The competition for volunteers is very furious. It is my honor to serve."
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