Officer relishes Beijing's hospitality, attentive service
Hospitality, caring, attention to details, and attentive service were what acting Senior Superintendent (Auxiliary) Edgar Yang relished at the Beijing's Olympic Village (Beijing Village) and competition venues in Beijing as an official of the Hong Kong Olympic Shooting Team.
As soon as arriving at the Beijing Airport on August 7, a big surprise was in store for him - fast and efficient customs clearance thanks to the efforts of the volunteers from the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.
On the way to the Beijing Village, he found the highway clean and free from traffic congestion.
To Edgar, the Beijing Village was "sizable", complete with residential halls, a 20,000-seat cafeteria with a 24-hour service, an exclusive souvenir shop for athletes and officials, first class power-lifting centre, and wireless Internet service. Outside each residential hall, athletes connected with their overseas hometown at an open wireless Internet network.
The first event Edgar attended was naturally the grand opening ceremony in the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), which was packed with 100,000 spectators and 30,000 athletes and officials from 204 countries and areas. Transport logistics were once again perfectly set with more than 700 buses taking athletes and officials from the Beijing Village. "It's well organised as you would be thrilled when you failed to see the end of the bus queue," he noted.
After the start of competition events, Edgar found volunteers offering excellent care and services to athletes at venues, and the Beijing authorities going to great lengths in a bid to provide a dust free environment.
Over the 10 memorable days of shooting events, China and the world were all looking up to Chinese athletes with great expectations.
China Olympic Shooting Team Chief Instructor Wang Yi-fu has never been so excited until after China nabbed five golds, two silvers and one bronze out of the 15 shooting disciplines. This historical breakthrough success captured the world's attention.
"During the ten shooting days, I encountered athletes from different sporting disciplines and countries. Other than exchanging pins, talking to and communicating with them did enhance my understanding of various sport cultures that nobody would be able to get except in the Olympic arena," Edgar concluded.
Acting SSP (A) Edgar Yang at the National Swimming Centre
Edgar Yang with Hong Kong shooter Wong Fai at the Bird's Nest