Rio Olympic village unfit for occupancy; athletes refuse to move in

Rio de Janeiro

ADDING to the list of setbacks and stumbles for the Rio Olympics, the athletes' village, home to thousands of athletes during the Summer Games, has been called unfit for occupancy. Sunday was supposed to be move-in day for many athletes, but the leader of the Australian Olympic delegation said that its athletes would not be checking in because of problems with the gas, electricity and plumbing. The opening ceremony for the Rio Games is scheduled for Aug 5.

Among the issues with housing units at the village were "blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring", said Kitty Chiller, a former Olympic pentathlete who is the chef de mission in Rio de Janeiro for the Australian Olympic Committee. There was also bad lighting in many stairwells and "dirty floors in need of a massive clean", she said in a statement. "Water has come through the ceiling resulting in large puddles on the floor around cabling and wiring."