Colorful foothpath inside the Village

Archant London’s own Olympic reporter Lee Power used his pass to get a sneak peek inside the athletes village - as the countdown continues towards the London 2012 Games.

Focus: The Olympic stadium in Stratford

After a welcome from London Mayor Boris Johnson, Lee and other journalists took a tour of the accommodation, athlete recreation areas and the gym - just before athletes moved into their Stratford base this week.

Check out these snaps to see what life is like inside the Olympic Village.

Chill zone: The Globe is where athletes can relax and mingle

The village is located next door to the Olympic Park, covering an area of 36 hectares.

Up to 16,000 athletes and team officials from more than 200 countries around the world are to live in newly-built accomodation.

Rack 'em up: Pool tables inside the Globe

When not straining every sinew for medals, this is where the planet’s top competitors will hang out.

The Village is most compact in recent Games history, but will feel spacious with a green space in which to unwind after a hard day's competition

Expecting Westlife?: Stools at live music space in the Globe

Being an athlete at the Games means lots of down-time between instense bouts of activity.

So organisers have pulled out all the stops to make sure boredom does not set in.

Get the stats: Information Kiosks will provide instant results, schedules, medal ranking tables and transport news.

With Xbox 360s, Nintendo Wiis, pool tables and even table football all laid on - the games will never end in the Village.

Keeping up energy levels should be no problem either, with a huge catering operation serving all needs.

Competiton Athletes can take each other on in table football, too

Up to 1.2m meals will be scoffed in the Village - 60,000 each day, alongside 2.7m bananas and 75,000 litres of milk.

And if someone fancies a guilty treat, a McDonald’s restaurant is on-site serving up burgers and fries.

Games: Pretend to be at Olympics, in the Globe

Jamacian sprint king Usain Bolt will be delighted - the Olympic champion reportedly munched on chicken nuggets before he won gold in Beijing, four years ago.

Twenty two thousand pillows and 28,000 duvets will keep them warm in their rooms- during the Great British wet summer.

High life: Residential block inside the Village

When the ‘greatest show on earth’ does leave town with the close Paralympics on September 9, these flats will go on to the market.

Smooth: Turf in the Village looks flat as a track

Athletes will be able enjoy London on their days off, with Stratford International Station just metres away from the action.