Karim Benariba is no stranger to the Military World Games. Four years ago, the sturdy Canadian of Algerian descent made his way to the athletes' village in Mungyeong, South Korea, and got his first taste of what things might be like when you live with a horde of top-grade soldiers and veterans in the same compound for three weeks.

"What attracted me most was that everything there was quite different from what I experienced in Canada. The culture was foreign to me and we could meet people from different age groups and backgrounds. I tried to talk to everyone who was interested to have a chit-chat. I really enjoyed my time," said Benariba.

But this year's edition of the games in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has proved a revelation to Benariba, whose eyes lit up when asked about the new state-of-the-art athletes' village, which stretches out over 565,000 square meters, featuring 1,900 suites and flats, a bank, a hair salon, a supermarket, a fitness center and a massive cafeteria. 

"In South Korea, they didn't build an insane village like this and we just settled in a camp-like place. Well, it was okay back then, but nothing compares to what we have now," he marveled. "The Military World Games in China is way bigger in terms of resources and sheer scale."

"The village is super big and clean and basically, we are treated like kings here. The food is excellent, the accommodation is great, the people are very nice and everyone is smiling. Even the one who cleans our apartment is super sweet and kind to us," he added.

Benariba could barely contain his bubbling excitement as he continued: "Wuhan is a very nice city and I was really impressed. We feel extremely good and satisfied from the moment we stepped into China." 

China has stunned the world with a spectacular opening ceremony to the 7th Military World Games. It is the first time the showpiece tournament has been held in the world's second largest economy and fans at the Wuhan Sports Center were treated to a dazzling visual feast on the pitch, which showcased China's ancient civilization and an offer of friendship to the world.

The display was irresistibly mesmerizing throughout and Benariba said he expected China to put on quite a show but he still felt deeply moved by its resplendence and virtuosity.

"Honestly, the opening ceremony was crazy. I've seen the gala in South Korea and I though that was good. But the spectacle on Friday was obviously on another level and standards are getting higher and higher. It easily took my breath away," Benariba continued. 

For Theofanis Tzandaris, a happy-go-lucky Greek athlete who plays for football giants Panathinaikos back home, the extravaganza represented a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience. "The show is absolutely amazing and the biggest surprise for me is Jackie Chan. I didn't expect him to come onto the stage and sing a song. That was incredible," he exclaimed. 

His teammate Petros Vournazos nodded intently and added: "Everything is so well-organized not only during the ceremony but also in this village. Everyone is working so hard to offer all kinds of assistance to us. We really couldn't ask for more."

The hosts pulled out all the stops to make their guests' stay as comfortable as possible. The doors, beds and other infrastructures were customized to suit every person's needs, especially for the towering basketball and volleyball players.

To spice up life in village, a stimulating exhibition of Yangtze River's Intangible Cultural Heritage is open to all and and has become one of the athletes' favorite haunts. A slew of carnival games have also been designed to keep the villagers entertained and offer them a chance to win a range of merchandise featuring the Wuhan Military Games mascots.

Theodoros Papoutsogiannopoulos, meanwhile, was more curious about how long it took for China to build such a sprawling complex to accommodate a record-high 9,000 athletes. He was left dumbstruck after learning that the answer was merely two years. "Wow!" he exclaimed, "in Greece, this kind of construction would take 10 years."

Quentin Rauturier, a proficient French orienteer, echoed Papoutsogiannopoulos' admiration, saying he has been overwhelmed by China's support and commitment to the cause. "I've never lived in such a huge and first-rate village before and it would surely be a memorable experience," he said. 

He even looked beyond and hailed Wuhan's vision and farsightedness: "I adore those culturally enriched structures, towers, facilities and the whole set-up. It has created a great platform to turn the village into brilliant communities or high-quality condos after the Military World Games."

"It is very thoughtful and I think it will make a great investment."