Both competitors and travelers at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games are unlikely to contract the dreaded Zika virus during the games or take it back with them to their home countries according to a report from Yale University.
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The authorities also announced last week that they had arrested a cell of alleged Islamic State sympathizers who were in the early stages of organizing a terrorist attack.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, after making light of the Australian situation and joking about kangaroos on Sunday, struck a more diplomatic tone during an event on Monday.
The admission came a day after Australia’s delegation said it would not move into the Olympic Village because it was “not safe or ready”, citing deficiencies like “blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring”.
The Dutch team, which is housed in the building where an electrical fire happened, said the conditions are a disappointment, and that it affects all participating countries.
Team USA diver Abby Johnston was seemingly happy with the housing itself, but had one major problem, tweeting: “Want to know the worst thing about the Olympic village?”
Numerous safety concerns have been raised ahead of the start of the Olympics, including the threat of worldwide terrorism and high crime levels in the host city.
Four Olympic committees, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States were using private contractors to solve issues with accommodations.
The Rio Olympic Village is near the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca. It expects athletes will be able to move in by the end of this week, and a spokesman for the committee said it is open to talking about compensation for delegations.
“We all called in to a hotline and the head of Rowing Australia said “It’s happening girls, pack your bags you are going to Rio”, Alexandra Hagan, one of the members of the Australian team, said Wednesday.
“Since then, we have been meeting on a daily basis with the local organising committee and our colleagues from other NOCs to find solutions to issues that have arisen in the village for the benefit of all delegations”.
“Anyone that we have contracted at this point in time, or any altered arrangements as in extra accommodations at hotels, we are paying for that at the moment”, she said.
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Rio 2016 says that around 2,400 individuals, 600 of them athletes, have begun staying in the village. The Rio 2016 Olympics will open in 10 days, with the first football matches coming two days before.
