It seems like there has been an never ending torrent of horror stories about the accommodation for the athletes at the Rio Olympics. We’re New Yorkers, we’re used to sh*tty landlords and sub-par accommodation, but these horror stories might even leave the most hardened NYC resident glad they aren’t in the Olympic village.
1. Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina was stuck in a village elevator for 40 minutes.
Así empezó su día @delpotrojuan: encerrado 40 minutos en un ascensor de la villa olímpica por un corte de luz. pic.twitter.com/AOcTGFxanM
— Jorge Viale (@jorgeviale) August 7, 2016
The tennis ace was trapped for 40 minutes without cellphone coverage until he was rescued by the Argentinian handball team on Sunday.
2. The Jamaican team is literally staying in a construction site.
WATCH: Jamaicans arrive to unfinished rooms inside the athletes’ village two days before the #RioGoldRush Olympics. pic.twitter.com/FlZrHyay42
— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) August 4, 2016
When the Jamaican team arrived they soon discovered they’re rooms weren’t finished. The video above clearly shows plaster strewn everywhere and completely unfinished accommodation.
3. When teams arrived, some villages had yet to pass safety inspection tests.
When athletes began pouring into Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games only 12 of 31 buildings in the Olympic Village had passed safety inspections.
4. The gas leak smell was “normal” according to Brazilian officials.
Rio 2016 spokesman says smell of gas in athletes village is totally normal. That’s how you test gas is connected, he says.
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) July 25, 2016
Apparently the smell that covered the entire village was caused by gas connection tests, many countries had to hire their own teams of people to fix the problem.
5. There is no coffee to be found in the Olympic villages.
When Egyptian archer Ahmed El-Nemr asked about coffee, “they said we are only limited to Coca-Cola products.” Maybe next year someone should try and get Starbucks to be an official sponsor of the Games.
6. At least the Czech village has indoor showers… wait a minute…
Great we have new shower in the house. ????
A video posted by Zdenek Stybar (@stybarzdenek) on
Czech cyclist Zdenek Stybar posted this epic instagram video describing the flood in his building as a “new shower in the house.”
7. Some of the villages’ fire alarms were disconnected
This is probably the most heinous story on the list. The Australian team found that the fire alarms had been deactivated in their building. When a small fire broke out in the basement car park, veteran shooter Warren Potent actually slept through the entire evacuation.
Featured image source: [nytimes]