Rio 2016: delegations reveal Olympic Village's precarious conditions
Olympic Village
The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) reported that they hired electricians, plumbers, and bricklayers to work on unfinished areas in the Olympic Village's Building 20 that will host the Italian team.
Workmen were urgently hired so that the athletes' accomodations could be brought up to “normal” conditions, read CONI's statement, on Sunday (Jul. 24) on the committee's website. It also reports that the team had to deal with unpredictable emergency situations. "I ask the athletes the utmost cooperation and understanding," says the Italian Olympic team leader, Carlo Mornati.
At the village opening this Sunday, the Australian Olympic Committee considered the accommodations uninhabitable and refused to move to the village until the problems are fixed.
According to the Australia's team leader, there are electrical, cleaning, and plumbing problems. "Problems include blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed and dirty floors in need of a massive clean," read the note, which states that New Zealand and Britain are facing the same problems.
The New Zealand committee reported on its website that the apartments were not completely ready when they arrived last week and they also had to work to conclude them. "We were disappointed the village wasnt't as ready as it might have been when we arrived and it hasn't been easy," read the note, which reported that the New Zealand team would be moving into the Olympic Village from today.
Brazilian committee
When opening the village to delegations, the chairman of the Rio 2016 Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, pointed out the importance of the team leaders to report their evaluations of the accommodations for adjustments to be made. According to him, the goal is not only to indicate defects or errors, but to "repair them." Even worse problems were faced in previous Olympics, he pledged that the problems will be fixed. "Our expectation is to house spectacular games and we will really be able to do it," said Nuzman.
“Mayor” of the Olympic Village, Brazilian basketball star Janeth Arcain, said organizers "have the necessary infrastructure to make everything perfect before the games begin."
Rio 2016 Committee also reported that 600 workmen are available to make any repair to the Olympic Village and that national committees often hire people to establish other structures, such as offices, in their accommodations.
According to the committee, 900 people from 66 national Olympic committees are housed in the athletes' village since Sunday. Among them, 200 athletes from 20 different nationalities. Today they expect the number of national Olympic committees to rise to 115 by the end of the day, with the arrival of representatives from countries like Germany, United States, Greece and Poland.
The Olympic Village is formed by 17 31-floor buildings, totaling 3,604 apartments, and it can house nearly 18,000 athletes and members of technical teams during the games.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Rio 2016: delegations reveal Olympic Village's precarious conditions
