Australia's Olympic team had every intention of moving into the athletes' village at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil last Thursday, but according to the Sydney Morning Herald, they refused to do so after their Olympic Committee deemed the living arrangements "uninhabitable." Their chief concerns were over electrical and plumbing problems. The SMH also reports New Zealand and Great Britain had similar concerns.
Australia's Olympic Committee leader Kitty Chiller highlighted specific gripes the team had with their quarters in a statement she released:
She also revealed that the Australian team ultimately refused to stay in the athletes' village after performing a "stress test" on Saturday night where they turned on a number of faucets and showers at the same time. What happened next was, well, not good. "The system failed," she said. "Water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments, and there was 'shorting' in the electrical wiring. "
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro responded by—welp—telling the Australian team that the athletes' village that has been built for athletes in Rio is nicer than the one that was built four years ago in Sydney, Australia. He also told the Australians that he would put a kangaroo outside of their building in the village to "make them feel at home":
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The Australians responded to this by checking into a nearby hotel and refusing to move into the athletes' village until changes are made.
As for the rest of the world? It's still unclear what they'll think about the village. But with less than two weeks to go before the start of the opening ceremonies, it's clear Rio still has some work to do. We didn't think Rio could be a bigger disaster than Sochi, but...maybe?
