'Toughest Games' Ever for Australian Team

(ATR) A number of incidents and missed medal targets made Rio 2016 a frustrating, challenging experience for the Australian Olympic team.

Australian chef de mission Kitty Chiller, in her final press conference in Rio, called the Games the "toughest games ever to prepare for and compete in." Despite the circumstances, Chiller commended the team unity and spirit of the Australian delegation.

"On every level this has been an enormously difficult Games to deliver for the Australian Olympic team," Chiller said. "The efforts of the dedicated staff and many volunteers who worked behind the scenes to enable our athletes to live, eat, travel and stay safe has been nothing short of exceptional."

The Australian team certainly got off on the wrong foot coming to Rio de Janeiro. When team officials arrived at the opening of the Olympic village, they found their building "uninhabitable."After finally moving in, a small fire broke out in the building, after which athletes reported personal items stolen.

Chiller identified security as the main flaw, "by a mile," with the 2016 Games, along with transportation issues.

During the Games, two Australian rowing coaches were robbed at knifepoint near their hotel. In addition, 10 Australian athletes were detained by the police for reportedly falsifying their accreditations to watch the Australia-Serbia basketball semifinal.

The Brazilian authorities currently are holding the athletes’ passports, until a fine can be paid, allowing them to return home. The Australian Olympic Committee has apologized for the incident but Chiller thinks the athletes were treated too harshly for their actions.

"I’ve said before I’m embarrassed that they had to go through that, it was a difficult evening, and it shouldn’t have had to come to that," Chiller said. "Certainly this has been the most trying games for many people on the officials’ side. I can say for any off field issues, I am very confident that it did not impact on our performance."

Going into the final day of competition Australia sat eighth on the medal table with 8 gold medals and 29 overall medals. Chiller said the team had targeted a top five finish on the table, which will not be achieved.

"[The medal tally] is short of where we wanted to be, well short," Chiller said. "There were several missed opportunities here… and our efforts here were very often close but they fell just short. I am not disappointed in [our team] or with them; I am disappointed for them."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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