Sochi's Olympic villages have officially opened and welcome the arrival of athletes and coaches.

Three mountain villages and a coastal village have been built, to accommodate more than 6000 athletes.

Figure skaters, hockey players, and curlers will rub shoulders as they enjoy perks like the village movie theater, library, and fully-stocked canteen.

Olympic committee representatives toured the facilities and came away impressed by the immensity of them.

"My first impression is that everything is pretty big, there are a lot of volunteers, everything new, and this big advantage is that everything is in the same place, all the venues, the sport venues, and the Olympic village and all the facilities are really close to each other."

The villages are protected with security perimeters. The director of Olympic villages, Daniel Merkley, says it's the safest place to be.

Athletic delegations will continue to arrive over the weekend. Once they make it through tight security checks, they will board buses and head to their respective villages.