The New Zealand team is attempting to make a home away from home for athletes inside their compound in the Olympic Village.

“We get a blank canvas within the village and we’ll work really hard to make a little bit of Aotearoa in Beijing,” Dave Currie said.

They will decorate the walls with images and mementos from home. Olympic venues are spread across China, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenyang, Shanghai and Qingdao, making the jobs of team managers ever more difficult.

Soccer actually starts two days before the opening ceremony, but the New Zealand team will have some time in the Olympic village before they play.

“We want them to feel part of the team and have some sense of an Olympic experience,” Currie said.

The traditional march onto the arena won’t begin until around 11 p.m. add further difficulties for managers and coaches to prepare their athletes for the coming events.

Read more: NZ’s Olympic home away from home