Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS
Less than two weeks from the start of the Olympic Games, more issues are coming to the surface in Rio. While much of the world has been focused on doping issues, for athletes already in Rio, housing is a more immediate concern.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has made alternative plans for its athletes, after discovering less than satisfactory conditions in the Olympic Village. According to Kitty Chiller of the AOC, the athlete housing has “blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring.” There are additional safety concerns as lighting in the stairwells is poor and floors are dirty.
Athletes from New Zealand and Britain who were also already in the Village encountered similar problems.
To test the housing to see if it would withstand full occupation, the AOC conducted a “stress test.” When multiple lights were turned on and multiple toilets were flushed, “Water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments, and there was shorting in electrical wiring,” according to Chiller.
British spokesman Scott Field reported that while there are difficulties, work was being done to overcome those.
A few hundred athletes are calling the Village home after it opened this morning.
Read more from The New York Times here.
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Ni modo then give the spots or rooms to the athletes that are willing to compete
Stupid comment!
So athletes should have to stay in unsafe conditions if they want to compete? ??
Geez!!!
Oh no!
Good grief. What a mess!
What a mess !!!!
OMG
This is not good… Iman Khadembashi
How about security measures?!
I heard that the United States basketball teams will be staying on a cruise ship instead of this new Olympic housing!! Smart move!!
They are professional athletes worth millions. They can afford it.
Ahmed Akram
That’s what happens when you award the Olympics to a 3rd world country. They could be in the USA (Chicago) right now, but this is where the IOC wanted to be. Good for them.
I know they need travel time adjustment period but aren’t they there a bit early? Given an extra week, the toilets might have been ready. I’m pretty sure this has happened before.
I sometimes fear as more and more countries run into similar problems when hosting the games, that the games will be ruined forever.
Maybe more time, resources and effort needs to go into security and safety for athletes and visitors than into topping the latest spectacular ceremony. They can be awesome but let’s revisit priorities.
I wonder if this mess will distract the Australian athletes and effect performance? I’m a swim mom and want everyone to do their best, but go USA!
Hate to say it, but this is likely the tip of the iceberg for these Games 🙁 Really hope I’m wrong though.
Don’t say that…my daughter will be there!
I have friends going and hope everyone is safe! But it doesn’t mean I trust the Brazilian govt still. 🙁
Pretty awful considering they’re being encouraged to stay in their rooms all day to avoid zika.
This should have been addressed earlier. The athletes have been preparing for months-years. The hosts should either given the location to another country or constructed safe, attractive facilities. Olympic Committee oversight is needed.
What a complete disaster.
Wow!!
Aussies…smart-smart move !
The olymic committee a should have decided to move the venue when the truth about Brazil’s financial situation was revealed
Rio is a slum. The water is so polluted, swimmers in the triathlon can literally die if they ingest any of it. They should never have awarded Rio the Olympics