Each village also has medical facilities and e-commerce payment platforms. The shuttle bus transport service covers all official competition venues, hotels and all public areas approved by the Harbin Organizing Committee.

The Main Press Center (MPC) for the Universiade at the New Paris Hotel in downtown Harbin provides a media reception area, journalist working hall, journalist service hall, press conference hall and several self-paid work rooms of different sizes. Local media reported that more than 1,200 valid press accreditation forms had been issued one month ahead of the event. Foreign media will come from the United States, Britain, Japan, Korea, Germany and Turkey, among others. The MPC will formally open on February 11 to receive reporters from all over the world.

After an inspection, Estonia's Kairis Ulp, Chairwoman of the FISU Supervision Commission, said that Harbin is on the right track in its preparations for the 2009 Winter Universiade, and that the venues and facilities meet international standards.

According to Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Chairman of the Harbin Universiade Organizing Committee, staging the first comprehensive world winter sporting event in China could help Harbin to one day host the Winter Olympics. A complete success for the Universiade would lay the groundwork for Harbin's Olympic bid, he said. Harbin failed to make the shortlist for the 2010 Winter Games in 2002.

Li Zhanshu, Governor of Heilongjiang Province, said that Harbin has to confer with relevant state departments on whether to bid for the 2018 Winter Games. In the meantime, he said, "We are determined to get the 2022 Winter Games."

Past Winter Universiades

1995 Jaca, Spain

1997 Muju-Chonju, South Korea

1999 Poprad-Tatry, Slovakia

2001 Zakopane, Poland

2003 Tarvisio, Italy

2005 Innsbruck, Austria

2007 Turin, Italy

Chinese Delegation

A total of 198 Chinese athletes will compete in 76 individual and team events in all 12 sports, with high expectations for strong results in snowboarding, freestyle skiing and short-track speed skating.