The Opening Ceremonies for the 2016 Games are still a week away, yet the fires of controversy surrounding the games still rage on, quite literally, in the latest incident.
Athletes from the Australian Olympic team were forced to evacuate the team’s building in the Olympic village on Friday due to a “small fire in the basement” of the building.
There has been a small fire in the basement of the team building in the Olympic Village. All athletes and staff were evacuated and are fine
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) July 29, 2016
The fire was quickly extinguished, and no one was injured in the blaze. The Australian contingent was allowed to re-enter the facility shortly thereafter.
The fire brigade were quickly on the scene and the AOC's emergency management plan was put in place pic.twitter.com/NY0a0swduc
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) July 29, 2016
All athletes were safely evacuated and are now back in the building pic.twitter.com/d5P8APqgZK
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) July 29, 2016
The Australian team has dealt with its fair share of trouble so far at the Olympic village. When the team first tried to move into the Olympic Village on Sunday, they were met with “unfit” living conditions.
Among the issues with housing units at the village were “blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring,” said Kitty Chiller, the chef de mission in Rio de Janeiro for the Australian Olympic Committee. There was also bad lighting in many stairwells and “dirty floors in need of a massive clean,” she said in a written statement.
“Water has come through the ceiling resulting in large puddles on the floor around cabling and wiring,” Chiller said.
Another day, another disaster at the Rio Olympics.
