You'll Never Believe This, But the Athletes' Village in Rio is 'Unliveable'

Oh for cryin’ out loud, Rio, get it together.

The Olympics should have never been awarded to Rio de Janiero. That much has been clear for some time. Despite seven years to prepare, Rio is not particularly close to being ready to host the Olympics, which begin August 5. To say nothing of the Zika virus or the dead body that washed up on the volleyball court, Rio was asking for “emergency” money five weeks ago.

The latest catastrophe is in the Olympic village, where the toilets don’t flush and the walls might catch fire, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The Australian Olympic Committee confirmed on Sunday evening that the athletes’ village has been deemed uninhabitable in the short term due to significant plumbing and electrical concerns."

And we’re not talking about some sleeping quarters that might not pass inspection. We’re talking about stuff that isn’t finished and doesn’t work.

"Problems include blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed and dirty floors in need of a massive clean. “In operations areas water has come through the ceiling resulting in large puddles on the floor around cabling and wiring.”"

There has also been “a strong smell of gas” and “shorting in the electrical wiring.”

Some of the issues with the Rio Olympics are not the fault of Rio de Janiero, but with less than two weeks until the opening ceremonies, Rio is still not in a position to host the Olympics with anything resembling safety or comfort.

There does not seem to be any serious movement afoot to cancel or postpone the games, and the closer they get, the harder it is to imagine these games going off without some kind of debacle, or worse.