Rio readies largest ever Oly village
31 May 2016 1:15 AM GMT
Rio 2016 organisers say it will be the largest number of residents ever housed at an Olympic village, reports Xinhua. In addition, some 13,000 staff and volunteers will work around the clock to attend to every beck and call of the city’s distinguished guests.
Located in Barra da Tijuca, next to Olympic Park in Rio’s southwest, the Olympic village will comprise 31 high-rise buildings and 3,604 apartments. It will also feature a shopping centre, banks, medical clinic, gymnasium, post office, beauty salon and shops selling licensed products.
A 200,000 square-metre recreation zone for athletes will boast a lounge area, games room, green areas, a bicycle track and swimming pools. A 24-hour bus service will also circulate within the village grounds, stopping at every condominium.
The restaurant will be big enough to house a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and will serve an estimated 60,000 meals a day.
According to Olympic village director Mario Cilenti, construction work at the complex has been completed and 70 percent of the apartments have been furnished.
By the middle of July, the village condominiums will boast some 19,000 beds, 19,650 wardrobes, 11,152 air conditioners, 120,580 towels, 70,200 sheets and 19,000 quilts. A novelty will be the absence of refrigerators in the apartments. Instead all buildings have been fitted with machines that dispense free cold drinks.
Each apartment block will also feature an ice machine, TV room, computer and printing services, and 24-hour reception with concierge.
“We’ve tried to cover all bases,” Cilenti told the Globo newspaper on Sunday. “It may seem like nonsense but the showers, for example, are a little taller. When we open the village doors, the athletes will begin to tell the world everything via social media. We want to make the best possible impression.”
The village will undergo health and safety inspections before its scheduled opening on July 18. The first athletes are due to arrive six days later.
According to Cilenti, “small adjustments” will be made to accommodate Paralympic athletes, who will start arriving on August 28. He added that the staff and volunteers would be the village’s most important asset during the Games.
“The big difference with Rio, apart from the city’s beauty, is the warmth of the people,” Cilenti said. “That is what will make the experience unique and something that athletes are not going to forget.”
Will give 100 percent at Rio Olympics: Sindhu
India’s shuttler P.V. Sindhu on Monday said that she is confident of a good performance and will give her 100 percent to clinch a medal at the forthcoming Olympics at Rio de Janeiro be held from August 5-21. A total of seven Indian shuttlers have made the cut for the Rio Games, eclipsing the previous high of five taking part in the 2012 London Olympics.
Olympic Golf Quest (OGQ), a non profitable organisation which has been supporting the athletes for a long time, felicitated a number of athletes here from different fields who will represent India at Rio. “I want to thank OGQ for their constant support, they have been supporting me from when I was 14 years old and now I have come a long way and now I am 20. I will be participating in my first Olympics and I am looking forward to Rio,” Sindhu said at a press conference here. “I am excited and will give my 100 percent to clinch a medal at the games.” she said.
Shiva Thapa, who is the only boxer to qualify for the Rio Games, said he is focused and will give his best to win a medal at the event. “I am focused and working hard for Rio. I am confident that I will give my best to bring medal for my country. I want to thank the OGQ for their constant support and what they have done for us. This support and the confidence they have given will help us do better this time,” Thapa said. India’s top air pistol shooter, Heena Sidhu said she is excited to represent the country at the Olympics for the second time after London 2012.
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone, a founding member of the OGQ, also hoped that the Indian contingent will bring smiles to the faces of millions back home with an improved performance in Rio.
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