Australia Reports Theft at Olympic Village, Security Beefed up

The Australian contingent has been affected by a series of incidents at the Olympics Village at Rio.

Australian athletes outside their lodging. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/@AUSOlympicTeam)

Team shirts and a laptop computer belonging to a cycling official have been stolen from the Australian building in the athletes’ village at the Rio Olympics, team chief Kitty Chiller said on Sunday. She said three unidentified people were seen walking away with team shirts during an evacuation after a basement fire on Friday while the laptop was taken from a room on the fifth floor.

Addressing a news conference, Chiller said that the security has been increased.

This is concerning. When you have got 15,000 beds, there are a lot of people walking around the village. I’m not accusing anybody but there are a lot of non-accredited workers, cleaners, housekeepers, maintenance workers still walking around. Unfortunately in an area of that size with the number of buildings and rooms that there are, theft is going to be inevitable.

Kitty Chiller, Team chief, Australia

The theft is the latest in a string of incidents affecting the Australians, their woes perhaps highlighted by the team holding daily briefings where others have not. Chiller complained about exposed wiring and blocked toilets, saying the accommodation was “not safe or ready” for athletes who were put up in hotels while contractors rectified matters.

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The basement fire was blamed on a cigarette discarded in the debris left after the repairs. The Australians subsequently discovered that the alarm system had been deactivated without them knowing while workmen were fixing the neighbouring building.

(With inputs from PTI and Reuters.)