From an AOC point of view, John Coates, has always stressed that for a Games to be successful, you need to get 3 things right, the athlete’s Village, the transport and the food.
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“For both returning and first-time Olympians, the pursuit of an Olympic dream is never an easy journey”, said Alan Ashley, United States’ Chef de Mission and USOC chief of sport performance.
New Zealand and Great Britain, among others, are experiencing similar issues in their accommodation.
According to a story in the Sidney Morning Herald, officials from the Australian Olympic Committee paid a visit to inspect Olympic Village over the weekend and confirmed that, as of Sunday, the location isn’t ready for their athletes.
Australian Olympic boss Kitty Chiller also revealed that in operations areas water has leaked through the ceiling, resulting in large puddles on the floor around cabling and wiring.
Blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed and dirty floors have led the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to deem their assigned apartment tower blocks uninhabitable.
Extra maintenance staff and more than one thousand cleaners have been deployed to fix the problems and clean up.
Chiller said Australian team staff are continuing to set up as best they can for the arrival of athletes and that for those coming in the next three days alternative accommodation has been arranged.
“We did a stress test on Saturday, turned on the taps and flushed the toilets, and water came flooding down the walls”, Tancred said.
“We have been living in nearby hotels because the village is simply not safe or ready”.
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“As is the case with every Games, we’re working with the local organizers to address minor issues and make sure the village is ready for team U.S. athletes”, spokesman Patrick Sandusky told AP. The development costs about $1.5 billion, built by the Brazilian billionaire Carlos Carvalho.
