ABSTRACT
In 1996 the International Olympic Committee supported a major symposium on the subject of Olympic Villages.1 The programme ranged over many subjects (see de Moragas Spà et al., 1997), but contained a particularly insightful overview by Francesc Manuel Muñoz (1997). He defined and grouped past Villages into specific categories dependent on factors such as location in the host city, the amenities provided, building types and planning issues. What is interesting in retrospect is that, while the location and planning issues and challenges remain similar even today, the nature of the athlete in that intervening period has radically changed.
