By Kim Hwaya

The opening of the FINA World Aquatics Championships is less than a week away but last-minute preparations are being conducted in the host city of Gwangju.

The organizing committee on July 5 announced that an advance party from the German swimming team will enter the Athletes' Village in the Usan-dong neighborhood of Gwangju, with 68 members from Team Korea and 100 from the U.S. and Dutch teams to follow the same day.

On July 6, 186 athletes from 12 countries, including 22 swimmers from Japan, will enter the village, to be followed by 183 from 14 countries such as England and Italy. A combined 109 athletes from the Korean national team, including 41 to enter on July 16, will stay at the village. Almost all athletes will enter before the swimming competition starts on July 19.

Safety inspections are drawing to an end as the event nears. The committee began such inspections on July 4 and has since prohibited non-athletes from entering competition venues. The Athletes' Village will be closed to the public from 1 p.m. on opening day.

The committee is also checking potential hazards from fire, electricity and gas and using police dogs in operations to detect explosives.

The Gwangju municipal government also announced that free Wi-Fi is available in 1,044 city buses covering 101 routes. This move had been slated for year's end but the city decided to move up implementation to better accommodate athletes and visitors for the tournament.

Approximately 100,000 pamphlets promoting tourism in the city in five languages were distributed on July 5. They cover the city's main tourist attractions as well as art and cultural festivals taking place from July to August.

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, "We'll do our best to provide the utmost safety and convenience for athletes so that they can perform at their best."

fayastory@korea.kr