What else could possibly go wrong for the Rio Olympics?
This weekend, the Olympic athletes’ village was opened for teams to move in – and they’ve already run into trouble. The Australian delegation refused to stay in the facilities due to “uninhabitable” living conditions. According to The Guardian, the Australian team said they were having plumbing and electrical problems.
“We’ve got lighting problems in some of the stairwells,” said Mike Tancred, a spokesman for the Australian team. “We did a stress test on Saturday, turned on the taps and flushed the toilets, and water came flooding down the walls.” Another representative of the team said they were staying in a nearby hotel because the village is just not ready.
Rio’s mayor had a very interesting response to the team’s grievances:
https://twitter.com/rachelmourao/status/757575421865123840
Say what you will about the athletes complaining about their living conditions, but this isn’t the first time this has happened in an Olympics village. Sochi had a plethora of problems in 2014, from yellow tap water to toilets built side-by-side. One U.S. athlete even had to break through a locked door.
This is just another blemish on the host city’s resume, and it’s safe to say many didn’t expect the 2016 Olympics to face so many obstacles even before the torch has been lit. Fortunately, aside from the Australian team, no other countries have expressed such concerns. The rooms do look like dorms, which is in line with Rio’s promise to keep a low budget. Air conditioning was also installed amid Zika virus concerns.
These athletes have an opportunity of a lifetime to perform at the Olympic Games. With that opportunity comes a lot of stress and anxiety, so where they are living for the next few weeks is essential to their performance.
On the bright side, 450,000 condoms will be distributed to athletes. Not sure if that will be enough to please the Australian team.