The issues facing the 2016 Rio Olympics continued on Sunday, as Australia's Olympic team leader refused to allow the country's delegation to move into dorms in the Athletes Village due to electrical and plumbing problems.
More than 700 Australian athletes and staff will stay out of the dorms for at least two days, according to an AP report.
"I have never experienced a village in this state -- or lack of state -- of readiness at this point in time," said Australian Olympic Committee Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller, who is attending her fifth Olympics.
Australian team spokesman Mike Tancred said only 10 of the 31 buildings were determined to be inhabitable, and described some of the problems.
"We're having plumbing problems, we've got leaking pipes," Tancred told AP. "We've got electrical problems. We've got cleaning problems. We've got lighting problems in some of the stairwells. We did a stress test on Saturday, turned on the taps and flushed the toilets, and water came flooding down the walls."
Chiller elaborated on the issues.
"There was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was 'shorting' in the electrical wiring," she said. "We have been living in nearby hotels because the village is simply not safe or ready."
This isn't the first time Chiller has spoken out about the Rio Olympics. In June, she demanded higher security after two members of the Paralympic sailing team were robbed at gun point near their hotel in Rio.
While praising the village's beauty, both the Italian and American Olympic committees have acknowledged the issues, and several teams are hiring tradesmen to fix the problems.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes responded harshly to the Australian criticism of the dorms.
"This is an incredible village, more beautiful and better than Sydney," he said, referring to the 2000 Olympics in Australia. He also said he was tempted to put "a kangaroo jumping outside" to make them happy.
The opening ceremony in Rio is set for Aug. 5.
