The Associated Press

Andrew Bogut, Others Report Poor Accommodations at Olympic Village

At least a dozen other teams also complained of problems at the Olympic Village

Thousands of athletes are flocking to Rio De Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic games and a handful are speaking out about the poor conditions at the Olympic Village.

Australian basketball star Andrew Bogut started using the ironic hashtag #IOCLuxuryLodging. Bogut, who plays center for the Dallas Mavericks, posted a picture of himself with the caption "putting together a shower curtain so we can shower and not flood the place."

Olympic field hockey player Georgie Parker responded to his tweet saying, “lights in our bathroom would be a nice addition. Luckily we have our #SamsungS7 to light the place! #IOCLuxuryLodging.”

Bogut later tweeted "At #IOCLuxuryLodging we believe a bed is not vital for sleep. Fine tuned athletes can sleep standing up."

Bogut’s tweets are just the latest in a string of drama surrounding accommodations for the Australian Olympic athletes.

Australia initially refused to move into its building at the Olympic Village, citing gas and plumbing leaks, electrical problems and unclean conditions. The athletes moved in later in the week but were evacuated on Friday after a small fire. No athletes were injured in the fire but when they returned after a half-hour outside, they found team shirts and two laptops had ben stolen.

The Associated Press reported at least a dozen other teams also complained of problems at the Olympic Village. "Please fix my toilet," one Kenyan athlete wrote on a whiteboard at the village intended for athletes to leave messages to Rio. Other teams have spoken about clogged drains and lack of hot water in the facilities.

According to the official Brazilian federal government portal for the Games, the 13 building Olympic Village can host 17,950 athletes and technical staff in 3,604 flats. The Brazilian government reports 18,000 people worked on the village's construction, which was funded by a public-private partnership.

Contact Us