Aussie athletes finally set to move into the Olympic Village
Hardly The Ritz: what the Village is really like. Photo: Getty
On Monday, Australia’s Olympic Village accommodation was uninhabitable.
Chef de mission Kitty Chiller slammed the facilities so much she raised eyebrows across the world and potentially got the folk from Fawlty Towers thinking about another series.
According to Chiller, the village was “unsafe” with “blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells and … dirty floors in need of a massive clean”.
Yet just 24 hours later, Chiller, who faces showdown talks with Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes on Wednesday, said everything was “fantastic”.
“The workers that were with us today have been very good, really skilled,” she said, completing a massive u-turn.
“There has been enormous progress made in the past 24 hours.
“It’s a beautiful country, a beautiful city and with beautiful people.
“All of the volunteers have been absolutely wonderful and next to Sydney [host of the 2000 Olympics], the best we have ever seen.”
The bathrooms in the Olympic Village. Photo: Getty
It was a drastic change of tone from Chiller, who, with her team, found more than 200 initial problems with the accommodation.
That forced Australian athletes set to arrive in Rio de Janeiro into hotel rooms this week.
Many of those issues arose when Chiller decided on a “stress test”.
With taps and toilets turned on simultaneously on different floors, all hell broke loose.
“Water came down walls,” Chiller said on Monday.
“There was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was ‘shorting’ in the electrical wiring.”
Chiller said Australians weren’t the only ones experiencing major problems.
Ms Chiller was angry – and let everyone know about it. Photo: Getty
“We are not alone,” she said.
“Our friends from Team GB [Britain], New Zealand and others are experiencing the same problems in their accommodation.
“We have been pushing hard for a solution.”
Oddly, it was a statement contradicted by the Brits and Kiwis, who acknowledged minor teething problems but were far from scathing.
Champion New Zealand rower Mahe Drysdale posted on Instagram that the accommodation was “good”.
“All is good, few finishing touches still to be made but when you arrive at 5am on opening day you can’t expect it to be perfect,” he wrote.
A British spokesman told Reuters: “We are confident that our accommodation is ready to receive athletes and will be to the highest standards within the village.
“Whilst we have encountered some maintenance difficulties this is not uncommon with new build structures of this type and we have been working hard to overcome them.”
The US Olympic Committee said they were facing “minor issues” but that it was just the same as “every Games”.
And while Olympic Committees from Argentina and Italy were more annoyed, they refrained from the public lashing Chiller handed out.
The building where the Aussie athletes will be housed. Photo: Getty
It was so negative it drew a response from Mayor Paes, who said the Village was “more beautiful” than its Sydney counterpart.
Mr Paes then joked: “We want them to feel at home here. I almost feel like putting a kangaroo to jump up and down in front of their building.”
Australian boxer Shelley Watts obviously feels at home, claiming the facilities are “amazing” and that she “couldn’t keep the smile off my face” after arriving in Rio.
A lot has obviously changed in the space of 24 hours.
Was the outspoken Chiller just a little overdramatic?
The state of the Village is just another saga the Games have had to deal with, adding to Russia’s doping crisis, Zika, safety concerns and a never-ending list of star withdrawals.
One wonders where the next Olympic scandal is coming from.
