The head of the Australian delegation, Kitty Chiller, says no one will be moving into the Olympic village because there are serious health and safety concerns and they need to be fixed.
Among the problems noted by Chiller are serious electrical and sanitation problems, including blocked toilets, exposed wiring, and leaking pipes. There is water running down the walls and pooling on floors in some apartments, and the stairwells have no lighting. The floors are filthy and in need of a massive cleaning, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
“For over a week now, AOC staff have been working long hours to get our section of the village ready for our athletes,” Chiller said. Actually, the Aussies aren’t the only team trying to deal with the crummy accommodations. The Italians and Dutch have hired their own teams to get their accommodations up to scratch.
“We had a huge team of plumbers in here, they’ve done diagnostic testing on every pipe in every apartment in every bathroom on all our 14 floors,” Chiller told ABC News, according to The Guardian. “That diagnostic testing will continue into the evening and into the night also and into tomorrow.
By the time the Opening Ceremony arrives on August, 5, more than 10,000 athletes are expected to be moved into the complex of 31 buildings located in the Barra da Tijuca district in the west of Rio de Janeiro. The Rio 2016 website claims the facilities include the latest in creature comforts. “Athletes staying in the village will be treated like kings. They are, after all, the stars of the show,” it says.
While Chiller has been quoted as saying she is confident all the problems will be resolved by the time the games begin, she also is adamant in saying, “There was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was ‘shorting’ in the electrical wiring. We have been living in nearby hotels because the village is simply not safe or ready.”
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes popped out with what he thought was a cute retort to the Australian team’s complaints, saying, “I am just about to put a kangaroo in front of their building so it can jump and make them feel at home.”
According to the Courier-Mail, Chiller retorted: “We’ve already got a kangaroo, we don’t need another one. Get me a plumber, mate, get me a plumber.”
Rio authorities are insistent that everything will be fixed to everyone’s liking by the beginning of the Olympic Games. They also point out that other teams have moved into the village without any complaints. Let’s hope everything, especially the electrical wiring, is fixed.
