South Korea's Jeju island enjoys the benefits as a field training site for foreign athletes preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) said on Thursday.

According to JDC, 25 foreign field training teams consisting of around 680 athletes from 15 countries have already been to Jeju Island ahead of the Olympics set for Aug. 8-22. About 20 triathletes and Taekwondo Olympians from Brazil, Denmark and Germany are scheduled to visit the island.

The JDC said that the direct income from the field training is estimated at about 2.6 billion won (2.6 million U.S. dollars).

The popularity of Jeju Island as a field training camp is because it is just a two-hour flight from/to Beijing and the time difference is only one hour, the JDC said.

The player can both train and relax on the island as Jeju has excellent tourism infrastructure, it added.

Source:Xinhua