Australia team hail progress at Rio Olympic village
ByReuters
Published 25/07/2016 at 21:26 GMT
The head of Australia's Olympic delegation in Rio de Janeiro said on Monday organizers had made "fantastic" progress in addressing concerns over unfinished housing at the official village and her team expected to move into its accommodation on Wednesday.
The Rio Olympic Games athletes' village
Image credit: AFP
Just under two weeks before the games begin on August 5, the Australian delegation said on Sunday it would not move into the Olympic Village because of shoddy plumbing and wiring that made their rooms uninhabitable. It complained about poor security and water dripping down the walls.
"There was fantastic progress made today," said Kitty Chiller, chef de mission of the Australian Olympic team. "It's looking like, according to our plan, we will be able to move everybody in on Wednesday."
Chiller said that her team had identified some 200 problems with the accommodation at the weekend but that was now down to single figures.
She said the Australian team had paid the initial cleaning costs to make its accommodation habitable and had not yet discussed with organisers whether that money would be reimbursed.
Rio's outspoken Mayor Eduardo Paes pledged to fix the problems but had appeared to make light of the Australians' complaints by saying he would place a kangaroo in front of their accommodation to make them feel at home.
"The mayor and I have a date on Wednesday and I believe there will be a ceremonial handing over of the keys. I have arranged a little present for the mayor as well," Chiller said.
"For the past two years I have been saying that this is one of the best of the villages of the six that I have ever been in and I still say that it will be the best village that I have ever been in once these issues are complete."
The head of Argentina's Olympic Committee, Gerardo Werthein, said on Monday that it had reserved accommodation outside the Olympic Village for part of its delegation due to problems with the completion of its five floors in the apartment blocks housing athletes.
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