(ATR) Rio 2016 organizers say construction of the Olympic Village is 50 per cent complete.
Together with the International Broadcast Center, the Village is the biggest construction project for the Games.
"The project is progressing very well and it is exciting to see the Village take shape," said Rio 2016’s Olympic Village director Mario Cilenti.
"It is going to be incredible to have the best athletes in the world staying in one place, here in Rio, for the first Olympic and Paralympic Games in South America.
"We are doing everything to ensure they have the best possible facilities so they can focus all their attention on producing their best performances."
With 17 out of 31 buildings constructed, Games chiefs say work is on schedule. The remaining 14 apartment towers in the complex will be finished by the end of this year.
Around 6,500 workers are involved in the project, which will rise to 8,000 by the end of the year. They have already used an amount of concrete equivalent to four Maracanã Stadiums.
Internal fit-out and installing the temporary overlay for the Games is planned for 2015. Overlay works include the construction of a temporary medical center, a 5,000-capacity cafeteria and a gym, among other amenities.
Another challenge is guaranteeing the complete accessibility of the Village for the Paralympic athletes, who will arrive a few days after the Olympic closing ceremony on Aug. 21 2016.
"We have two to three days, at most, to carry out the transition from Olympic to Paralympic Village," Cilenti said.
"To do this, everything has to be thought about and built now. There will be around 700 accessible bathrooms, in addition to the common areas, which must meet the needs of not just wheelchair users, but also athletes with a visual impairment and with reduced mobility, amongst others," he added.
Located in Barra da Tijuca, in the west of Rio de Janeiro, the Village will have aa Games-time capacity for more than 18,000 guests, including athletes and officials.
The Olympic Village is set for completion in the first half of 2016.
The 31 buildings will be divided into seven condominiums with a total of 3,604 apartments, 10,160 bedrooms, 10,150 bathrooms and more than 18,000 beds.
During the Games, about 10,000 staff, contractors and volunteers will work in Olympic Village operations.
Reported by Mark Bisson.
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