Olympic Village: The sports condo complex of cultural diversity

People playing in sport courts, cyclists riding through outdoor areas and a couple strolling hand in hand through condos in Barra da Tijuca. At the gym, swimming pools, and reception areas, dwellers come and go, as security keeps constant watch so as not to let anyone in without permission. What you see at the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Village—with the arrival of delegations, with their flags, uniforms, languages, and faces of dozens of nationalities—is the greatest symbol of cultural diversity, made stronger by sports.

The 31-building complex, which is set to be sold by the private enterprise after the games, form a veritable mosaic, with delegations ranging from Mozambique, with fewer than 10 athletes, to the US, with over 500. Teams from such countries as the US, Australia, Brazil, China, and Russia, and other nations with a large number of athletes occupy entire or nearly entire buildings.

Smaller teams are housed together by region, like South Africa, Mozambique, and Uganda, whose delegations share the same building, as is the case with the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Another criterion is language, which brings together geographically distant countries, like Ireland and New Zealand.

Ireland's Gymnastics team leader Sally Filmer believes this makes everyday life together easier. “We're always near New Zealand's team. They're the ones we meet most often. We have even come to the restaurant,” she says.

Restaurant

Sally was talking to another member of the Irish team by the restaurant door. There, Olympians may help themselves from five food counters in a place capable of housing 5.3 thousand people. It's easy to break the diet at the eatery, with snacks and goodies ready for the taking, but the Irish leader says it's easy to keep the rest of the team in check. “Most athletes are disciplined. They follow their diets in order to have a better performance. They don't go too far.”

Brazilian cuisine is among the restaurant's most sought-after cuisines, with farofa, steaks on the barbie, rice and beans as the most popular options. Other possibilities on the menu include Asian food, pizza, various salads, yoghurts, and drinks. The menu also caters for religious Olympians, who can find kosher food for Jews, and halal for Muslims. Those watching the eatery's entrance and exit wouldn't have to wait long to see an athlete holding ice lollies or icecream. Egyptian diver Mohab Elkordy, however, left the premises after dinner holding just a bottle of water.

“I'm having a great time walking around the village. I love swimming pools and I love the entertainment center. It's really huge here,” said the 18-year-old sportsman in admiration. With a smile on his face, he asked to have a look at the picture and see whether he looks nice in it.

Mohab had come to Brazil for the diving test event in Maria Lenk Aquatic Park, and liked the facilities. He is sharing the building in the village with Kazakhstan's and Mongolia's teams. Our conversations have to be in English, but it is not always easy. "I've met some athletes from Kazakhstan, and they were very friendly. We always try to communicate in English, but not everyone speaks it."

The relaxed atmosphere of the village does not hide their anxiety and commitment to professionalism. Gambia's Chef de Mission Haruna Cham, who came to Rio with a team formed by a swimmer, a judoka, and four athletics competitors, pointed out that nobody came here to relax. "When athletes are not working out, we ask them to stay in their rooms, because we came here to compete. We have not come for a picnic."

Problems

Irish athletes said they have no reason for complaining about the village. However, other delegations have reported some problems. German rower Annekatrin Thiele reported that there was no water for taking a shower and washing her hands on Monday (Aug. 1). In her view, these problems don't let the village be a beautiful place, and the event in Rio de Janeiro has the benefit of the beautiful landscape. "It's pretty cool to see Rio's Christ very closely and to be right there."

For Spanish physician José Salo Cuenca, what is working well in the village is great, and what is not working well is pretty bad. He avoided comparing it with other villages and said that the shoddy workmanship of the apartments is a weak point of the condo complex. On the other hand, the polyclinic is a strong point. "There are many specialties and it works perfectly. They are always on time."

Delegations have faced problems not only inside the village. Mozambique's swimming team leader Fernando Miguel says that the distance from Rodrigo de Freitas Lake to the village has caused inconvenience to two Mozambican canoe sprint athletes.

"It's our only complaint. The venue for canoe is very far from here and there is no alternative route to make it in a short time. It is a great inconvenience. Two hours to go and two hours to get back," he said. He also reported that in one of the training days, the ride to the venue lasted more than three hours, because even the guide got lost. "I believe that these hitches will be solved as the Olympic Games begin."

Fitness centre

The competition for a place in the village's restaurant isn't as fierce as for the equipment in the fitness centre, where aerobics and weight exercises place athletes from different countries, biotypes, and sports side by side. Those who tried to workout in the gym during rush hours may certainly understand the disappointment expressed by Brazilian divers Ingrid Oliveira and Luiz Outeiro, who needed to do their weight training for preserving their physical strength, but hadn't found a gap to use the equipment. After a long wait, they had worked out and praised the equipment.

"While we work out, we look around and wonder which sport the [other] might be competing in. We often see some people rowing and think: they are surely [competing in] rowing. When we see an 'extraordinary-looking' girl in the bar, we quickly think that she does weightlifting. It's quite interesting to see the [physical] demands of other sports," said Oliveira, who does mainly sprint exercises to preserve her legs strength.

Luiz Outeiro reports that this week's training in the gym has been lighter because the games are very close, and they will enhance the diving movements at Maria Lenk Aquatic Park. "Now we call this a polishing [training]. We are polishing our technique in the water, and we are here maintaining our physical fitness."

Athletes have also competed fiercely for the Olympic rings, built in a square in the middle of the buildings. Greek physiotherapist Ivana Djuric was taking pictures beside the rings, the only tourist attraction she could visit until now. She plans to visit the Christ the Redeemer and other famous places of the city, but she will do it later in her trip. "We had no time to visit [anything], but we surely have to go there."

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta / Fabrício Ferreira