‘Isolated sabotage’ suspected for creating village problems
Sabotage by unhappy workers might have caused water and gas leaks, blocked toilets and electrical faults that slowed teams from moving into the athletes’ village, Rio Olympic organizers said Thursday.
“We are considering isolated cases, but we haven’t seen enough to say it was an organized sabotage thing,” Rio spokesman Mario Andrada said. He said the most likely cause was what he called “organizational problems.” OLYMPIC NOTES
All 31 buildings at the massive compound for 18,000 athletes and staff were due to be ready at the end of Thursday, with the games opening in just more than a week. Andrada says about 400 of the 3,600 rooms in the complex had defects.
South America’s first games have been plagued by problems, including the Zika virus, severe water pollution, security worries and slow ticket sales. But the slipshod construction is the first problem directly touching many teams and athletes.
Australia refused to check in at Sunday’s official opening, setting off public complaints by at least a dozen teams. Those complaints ranged from water dripping from ceilings and walls, the smell of gas, electrical shorts, and stopped-up toilet bowls — or no toilet bowls at all.
Andrada described a “wild scramble” last weekend to find 650 plumbers and electricians.
“Imagine, this was on a weekend in Rio,” he said. “We called literally all the constructions companies. We literally called every plumber in town.”
Rio is a relaxed beach town, where informal dress is normal and the work schedule is negotiable.
“One US official told me the workers were unprepared, working with water on the floor, working with electricity and wearing no protection; wearing flip-flops,” Andrada said. “But that’s how we live here. Guys work with flip-flops. But the guys are technicians and know how to work.”
Brazilian labor inspectors on Wednesday said they would fine the organizing committee nearly $100,000 for hiring workers without proper contracts required by law.
TERROR CONCERNS — In the aftermath of deadly attacks by the Islamic State group in France and elsewhere, Brazil, which has almost no experience combatting terrorism, is beefing up security for the Olympics.
Plans include doubling the number of security forces on the streets, erecting more checkpoints and working closer with foreign intelligence agencies than Brazilians did in the 2014 World Cup. But will it be enough? Richard Ford, a retired FBI anti-terror expert who lives in Brazil, said that while the government has a robust program to keep athletes and venues safe, he worries that authorities aren’t taking the threat of a lone-wolf or suicide attack seriously enough.
He cited comments by Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who surprised many last week by saying the chances of a terror attack at the games were “next to zero” and that the bigger concern is street crime.