Olympic Village woes

Jul 25, 2016 06:00 am

The Australian team will not move into the Olympic Village for next month's Rio Games because of problems including "blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring", the head of the country's delegation Kitty Chiller said yesterday.

Chiller, who will reassess the situation later, said she had raised concerns on a daily basis with the organisers and the International Olympic Committee, and was "pushing hard for a solution".

Extra maintenance staff and more than 1,000 cleaners have been engaged to fix the problems and clean the Village, Chiller said, but the faults, particularly the plumbing issues, have not been resolved.

Australia had been due to move into the Village on July 21, but have instead been living in nearby hotels.

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.

The 2016 Olympics is schedule from Aug 5 to 21. - Reuters.