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Rio 2016 opens Olympic Village, home to the world's best athletes

About 900 people from 66 different National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were already in the village by Sunday afternoon, including about 200 athletes from 20 different countries, including Great Britain, Canada and the Netherlands.

Rio 2016 officially opened its Olympic Village to the world's best athletes on Sunday (24 July) as organisers stressed that any outstanding issues would be resolved within 48 hours.With 31 buildings and 3,604 apartments, the village will host more than 17,000 athletes and officials during its peak times.

Built in the neighbourhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes in the west of Rio, it is close to Barra Olympic Park, the main venue cluster.

The village was opened by Rio mayor Eduardo Paes, Rio 2016 president Carlos Arthur Nuzman and retired basketball player Janeth Arcain, the two-time Olympic medallist who is the mayor of the village.

"We are very pleased to arrive at this moment, which we can say marks the start of the Rio 2016 Games," said Nuzman.

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The complex also features leisure areas, cycle-paths, a huge gym and giant dinning hall with an area of 27,000 square metres and the capcity to cater for 5,000 at the same time, serving up to 60,000 meals per day.

The guests will be offered a wide range of international food, including the best Brazilian gastronomy, and a dazzling array of tropical fruit to help power up the athletes.

"The village sums up the Olympic spirit, with all people living together in peace in the same space," said Paes.

Nuzman also responded to questions about the decision of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to temporarily accommodate their athletes in hotels until some issues were resolved.

"There are some adjustments that we are dealing with and that will be resolved in a short while," Nuzman said.

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"Every Olympic Village, because of their magnitude, needs some adjustments until it becomes perfect.

The important thing is that everything will be resolved before the Games, without disturbing the athletes."

Arcain also commented on the situation. "I am a spokesperson between the athletes and Rio 2016, and I guarantee that we have the necessary structure to make sure everything is perfect before the start of the Games," she said.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and British Olympic Association (BOA) said that the need for final adjustments was normal and that they were working with Rio 2016 to enure everything was in place.

“As is the case with every Games, we’re working with the local organisers to address minor issues and make sure the village is ready for Team USA athletes,” said USOC in a statement.

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The British team was one of the first delegations on site, a week ago, and said they have been holding daily meetings with Rio 2016 and other NOCs. In a statement, the BOA said: “We are confident that our accommodation is ready to receive athletes and will be to the highest standards within the village. Whilst we have encountered some maintenance difficulties this is not uncommon with new build structures of this type and we have been working hard to overcome them.

”Speaking on Sunday afternoon, Australia's chef de mission Kitty Chiller said she was confident that they would be able to enter the village on Wednesday (27 July) and stressed that "every village has teething problems".  Meanwhile, Australia's nearest neighbours, New Zealand, said they would be welcoming the first of their athletes into the village on Sunday.

"We’re pleased to say that thanks to good planning from the New Zealand team, strong relationships and a bit of hard work, we’re ready for the first athletes to arrive today."

credit: www.rio2016.com

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