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Finishing touches to Olympic and Paralympic village

Thursday, April 28 2016 by SNTV
  • The finishing touches are being put on the Olympic and Paralympic village that will house around 30,000 people across both Games.

    90 days before the first athletes arrive in their accommodations, the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic village is nearly complete.

    The 31 buildings have been built with just furnishings and exterior items to be installed.

    Each condominium is 17-stories tall and has been designed to be completely accessible for Paralympic athletes.

    The village will host around 30,000 athletes and officials across both events.

    Mario Cilenti is the Olympic and Paralympic village site manager

    SOUNDBITE (English) Mario Cilenti, Olympic and Paralympic village site manager (on the village):

    "We have a total of 31 buildings distributed in seven different condominiums. 3604 apartments in two, three and four bedroom configuration. We are now in the process of moving everything that we need. We have about 6000 different items that need to be moved into the village to create an Olympic village."

    Allocating who will stay where began in 2015 with the ten largest nations given priority.

    The outbreak of the Zika virus meant a last minute change to the buildings with air-conditioning installed in all rooms to help athletes keep mosquitoes out of their rooms.

    SOUNDBITE (English) Mario Cilenti, Olympic and Paralympic village site manager:

    (On what the biggest challenge was putting the village together)

    "The biggest challenge is more to keep everybody happy. Everybody wants to be in the best places, but luckily every country, every NOC (National Olympic Committee) has different philosophies, different priorities. Some want to be closer to the main dining, some want to be closer to the transport mall, some want to be in a remote area, so it's a big jigsaw puzzle and it all comes together in the end."

    With the athletes arrival not long away work to finish the village is flat out and with the prospects of some of the world's sporting stars coming to visit the countdown is well and truly on to Rio 2016

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