London 2012 Olympics: what the athletes think of the Olympic Village This week, most of London 2012"s 17,000 athletes and officials arrived at the Olympic Village, where they would have found comfortable if cramped living quarters. Each athlete sleeps in a single bed, though US water polo goalie Chay Lapin (6ft 5in) says there are extensions for "the tall dudes." Of the myriad facilities inside the Village, none is as popular as the 24-hour dining room, which seats 5,000 people and offers cuisine from five continents. Cameroon judo athlete Diedeudonne Dolassem, 32, is delighted by it. "We went to the restaurant - and, oh, it was so big," says Dolassem. There is Halal food, European, African, Asian; no one will go hungry here. It is very, very good. Hungarian team official Judith Farkas likes the fact the village is compact and close to many of the competition venues. It is not easy travelling in London because of the traffic. The accommodation is nice, though, and the view - especially at night with all the lights - is wonderful. I like being in the same block as the New Zealanders, because they do the Haka all the time, and we are learning how to do it, too. Judo player Audrey Koumba Imanda, 23, from Gabon, is at the salon having braided hair extensions done. "This is my first Olympics, and being here in the international area is a nice distraction," she says. I know I can go to the Globe pub to chill out but, actually, I like it all. Everything, that is, except the weather. When I ask what she thinks of our threatening grey skies, Imanda replies without hesitation: "Très mal!"