FILE in this Sunday, March 11, 2012 file photo, Russia’s Ilia Frolov runs through the finish line tape as he wins the men’s final in the Modern Pentathlon World Cup in Charlotte, in the U.S. Two Russian athletes in modern pentathlon have been barred from the Rio Olympics after being implicated in an alleged doping cover-up.
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Irish Olympians – including Michael Conlon and Paddy Barnes – were yesterday pictured with their team at various landmarks across the city, such as the Selaron Steps and the Copacabana beach.
RIO DE JANEIRO- Blocked toilets, leaky pipes and exposed wires – just a few of the reasons Australia’s Olympic delegation has refused to move in to the athletes village, now open to arriving Olympians.
Brazil’s federal police union on Wednesday criticized the security plan for next month’s Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, citing flaws that could threaten the safety of tourists and spectators.
“We are not ashamed of what has happened, but we are sad that not all the athletes have found (the accommodation) to their liking”, he said.
With Brazil set to become the first South American country to host the Summer Olympic Games in the Games’ 120-year history, Damico is confident that the 10,500 athletes from 206 nations, as well as some 500,000 visitors expected for the Olympics, will have an experience to remember in Rio.
“There are apartments in the village that are in a bad condition, others are not as bad and some that are already being used by athletes”.
However, Chiller since said she expects the Australians to move in Wednesday, after having paid for hotel accommodation for athletes and cleaning services.
Athletes delayed their arrival due to these issues, while Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes provoked fury by quipping that perhaps they should put “a kangaroo in front of their building to make them feel at home”.
Head of Argentina’s delegation Diego Gusman told Buenos Aires newspaper La Nacion: “We started by testing the lights, the water and it was like the apartment exploded: there were leaks in the walls, on the ceiling”.
Rio 2016 organizers and the Rio city government repeatedly insists that recent events in Brazil, such as the financial downturn, corruption scandals, political upheaval or the Zika virus scare, would not disrupt the delivery of facilities for the Games.
“I hope they fix all the problems”, he said. “They are national symbols”.
‘We are not alone, our friends from Team GB, New Zealand and others are experiencing the same problems in their accommodation.
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In response, the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, responded: “I nearly feel like putting a kangaroo to jump up and down in front of their building”. “We will evaluate this situation with International Olympic Committee and Rio 2016 after the Games”, the Dutch delegation said in an e-mailed statement.
