Rio 2016: more than half of the buildings set to house athletes during the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro are still not fully ready, with less than two weeks to go until the start of the games.
The Rio 2016 organising committee has admitted that 19 of the 31 towers that make up the Athletes Village have yet to pass full checks, according to the Guardian.
Competitors have begun arriving at the complex, set to house around 10,000 athletes next to the Barra Olympic Park, but some teams have complained about conditions in the facilities.
Flooding, broken elevators, mould and ceiling holes have reportedly caused the Australian team to temporarily relocate, while the Italian and Dutch contingents have also voiced concerns.
Stress tests are yet to be carried out on more than half of the 17-storey buildings, as they were handed over behind schedule.
Rio 2016 spokesperson Mário Andrada admitted to the Guardian that only 12 of the 31 tower blocks have been checked and approved.
"This should have been tested a long time ago," he said. "But the problem is there and now our task is to fix it as quickly as possible and to ensure everything is safe."
Issues listed include a small fire, which broke out in the Dutch team's building on Saturday.
"A technician was working on a fuse box," said Andrada. "There was a short circuit and a small fire, which he extinguished himself. The electricity was disconnected and there was no need for an evacuation or to call firefighters."
Most athletes are due to be moved in before the Rio 2016 Olympics opening ceremony, which takes place on 5 August 2016. The organising committee hopes to have work on the buildings finished this week.
The Brazilian government's website for the games states that the Athletes Village was delivered to the Rio 2016 committee on 15 June 2016.
The project – also known as Ilha Pura – cost almost one billion US dollars, and was undertaken privately by property developer Carvalho Hosken and construction firm Odebrecht. After the Olympic and Paralympic games, the companies plan to sell the apartments to recover costs – although only 240 of the 3,604 apartments had been pre-sold earlier this year.
Photography is by Heusi Action Images.