Problems Besiege Olympic Village Opening

(ATR) Olympic organizers tell Around the Ringsthat sanitation problems with the Olympic Village are being dealt with as the Australian Olympic Team refuses to allow athletes to stay there for now.

Rio 2016 says it is working around the clock to fix things.

In a statement the Australian team said that the village was not safe for athletes because of plumbing, energy, and general readiness problems. Alternate arrangements have been planned, and the Australian Olympic Committee has appealed to Rio 2016 and the IOC to fix all problems.

Australian Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said that "a variety of problems…including gas, electricity, and plumbing," led to the unsafe conditions for athletes in the village.

"We were supposed to move into the Village on July 21, but we have been living in nearby hotels because the Village is simply not safe or ready," Chiller said.

"We have raised our concerns on a daily basis with the Organizing Committee and the IOC, especially at the daily Chef’s meetings. We are not alone."

Today marked the official opening of the Olympic Village, which featured a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Rio de Janeiro Mayor Edaurdo Paes, Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman, and Olympic Village Mayor Janeth Arcain. The ceremony officially welcomed the world's Olympians to Rio ahead of the 2016 Games.

Rio 2016 communications head Mario Andrada told Around the Rings that the organizing committee "knows what we need to fix," and that many of the issues that teams are experiencing come from a limited window to run tests on the complex.

"When we connected lines of energy and water it was the only moment we could do the tests, and there were several apartments with leakage," Andrada said. "We have a team of 500 people working overnight and in some of the buildings that we had problems they were already fixed. This afternoon we are going to perform another stress test where we turn on all the water in the Australian’s building."

Andrada added that organizers will do "whatever needs to be done" to fix the problems by the end of this week, and expects the Australians will be satisfied when all said and done.

Brazilian newspaper Folha reported today that multiple National Olympic Committees including the United States, the Netherlands, Brazil and Italy have hired private contractors to sort out problems in the Village before their athletes arrived. Andrada confirmed to ATR that private contractors were used by a number of NOCs, but called it standard procedure for large NOCs during Olympic Games.

ATR has learned that NOCs continue to pressure Rio 2016 behind the scenes to ensure the village is prepared correctly for athletes and are currently unsatisfied with progress.

United States Olympic Committee head of communications Patrick Sandusky told ATR that, "as with the case of every Games, we are working with local organizers to address minor issues and make sure the Village is ready for Team USA athletes."

The Village snafu is just another addition to the litany of problems that have plagued the preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games, which have included the Zika virus, changing security protocols, and delays in venue construction.

Paes told ATR that by guaranteeing the Village would be done on time and on budget did not mean it would be finalized without any problems. Paes called the problems temporary, and said when they are finished, the village "will be the place to be," during the Games.

"We have some sanitation problems in the Village, which is one of the most challenging issues of the Games," Paes said. "We are going to fix the problems that might have happened here and solve it."

Arcain toldATR that she and others are already working with other delegations to solve the issues. She could not recall a similar situation when staying at the Village in her four trips to the Olympic Games, but conceded that she typically moved in much later than the opening date, to avoid such issues.

"We will fix everything and apologize for all the inconveniences, and it will be fixed before everybody moves in," Arcain added. "I’ve heard of problems before. This is normal when we finish new buildings, and I’m sure athletes will be satisfied."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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