World sailors enjoy stay in coastal city
QINGDAO: Croatian 49er's Paule Kostov and Petar Cupac raised a few eyebrows while out of the water at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center .
The pair played with yoyos, a traditional Chinese game, during their spare time much to the pleasure of local onlookers.
Most sailors are relishing their stay in Qingdao, a beautiful coastal city in East China's Shandong Province.
British Finn sailor Ben Ainslie discovered the city and the venue had undergone "dramatic changes" in the past year.
"When I sailed back, I saw lots of spectators watching the event - I think this is spectacular," he added.
Sven Coster from the Netherlands bought a remote control airplane from a supermarket near the Olympic Sailing Center.
While waiting for wind to blow up, several expert sailors gathered around him eager to test their hand as navigators of the skies.
Many girls like Katarzyna Szotynska, a Laser Radial sailor from Poland, went shopping at the Jimo Road merchandise market, where they were pleased to learn some retailers had gained a basic grasp of English.
"Things are very cheap there," Szotynska said.
"The friendly sellers always show prices on the screen of a calculator.
"It's convenient. I like bargaining with them, usually asking for a 50 percent discount. I bought several shirts and fans. They are wonderful.
"Compared with last year, I find that more and more people in Qingdao are speaking English," she added.
Katarzyna also encouraged counterpart Gintare Volungeviciute, the only sailor from Lithuania, to shop at the Jimo Road.
All three members of the women's Greek Yngling team went to the famous Laoshan Mountain.
Skipper Sofia Bekatorou said they enjoyed the beautiful scenery there and a brief introduction to Taoism.
"Everyone is smiling here, they are friendly," crewmate Christina Haramounta said.
"I like that very much. Besides, the coordinator assigned by the organizing committee really helps a lot."
Crewmate Sophia Papadopoulou was a volunteer at the 2004 Olympics.
"Many of the volunteers in Athens can speak more than one language, yet there are fewer volunteers in Qingdao that can communicate in fluent English," she said, a little disappointed.
But French Star sailor Pascal Rambeau spoke highly of the enthusiastic volunteers.
"Without them, there will be no regatta this year," he said.
(China Daily 08/23/2007 page24)
