Olympics: Team GB hire plumbers in case of emergencies at the athletes’ village in Rio de Janeiro


TEAM GB have hired plumbers in case of emergencies at the athletes’ village in Rio de Janeiro.

Local workmen have already been employed to sort out blocked toilets and leaking pipes in the GB block.

A view of athletes' accommodation
The Olympic athletes’ village has cost a cool £1.14bn…but there are problems
Rio Olympic village
Team GB plumbers will be on hand in case of emergencies
A view of athletes' accommodation
The accommodation has so far met with the approval of British athletes

And British Olympic Association officials want workers on hand to tackle any other problems that may arise without having to call on under-pressure local organisers.

But while GB have resolved a few plumbing issues the Australians have refused to move into their rooms and Argentina’s team leader David Gusman says the work in their quarters is so bad he suspects it might even have been sabotaged.

“We started by testing the lights, the water and it was like the apartment exploded; there were leaks in the walls, on the ceiling,” he said.

“We even wondered if there may have been some sabotage because how else do you explain blocks of cement in the plumbing?

“It’s a disaster and it’s the same across the village.”

So far there have actually been no complaints from the 67 Team GB members who have already moved in and Scott Field, director of communications, said: “Their experience has been wholly positive. We are very happy with the accommodation situation.”

Athletes share a twin room in Rio
Athletes share twin rooms in Rio de Janeiro
A room in the polyclinic
Ready for an ice bath? A room in the Rio polyclinic in the athletes’ village
A room of a polyclinic
Need a dentist? There’s one close on hand if need be

Overall extra maintenance staff and more than 1,000 cleaners have been engaged to fix problems in the village.

Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said 630 people were “working around the clock” to make the village ready.

The 31-building, £1.14bn village has tennis courts, football pitches, seven swimming pools and will house 18,000 athletes and officials at the height of the Games, which start on August 5.
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