German Champ Savages Bach Over IOC's Russia Stance
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 SPORTS Australia hails quick fix of problems in athletes’ village RIO DE JANEIRO: Australia’s Olympic concern over Brazil’s readiness to host a made today,” Chiller told a news confer- “It looks absolutely amazing. I undergoing tests despite a scheduled delegation in Rio de Janeiro said on major sporting event in the midst of its ence in the Olympic media center. “It’s haven’t had to concern myself with any inauguration next Saturday. Monday that organizers had made “fan- worst recession in decades and a deep looking like, according to our plan, we of the leakages of the water or anything, Chiller said that a group of around 10 tastic” progress in fixing problems with political crisis. will be able to move everybody in on but walking in there I just couldn’t wipe national Olympic committees - includ- unfinished housing, although officials New Zealand and Italy’s delegations Wednesday.” the smile off my face,” she said. “What ing Britain, New Zealand, Japan and admitted that only two-thirds of the both said they had been forced to fix The newly built village will host more Rio has done to be able to create this Germany - had worked together to alert buildings had passed full safety checks. problems with electricity and plumbing, than 18,000 athletes, officials, staff and facility is amazing.” the local organizers and the Organizers for South America’s first while Argentina said on Monday it had volunteers over the Aug. 5-21 Olympics International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Games built 31 17-story build- reserved accommodation outside the and the Sept. 7-18 Paralympics. MEMORIES OF WORLD CUP to problems at the village. ings, but only 12 had been given the village for part of its delegation. Chiller said her team had identified As many as 500,000 visitors are Rio’s outspoken Mayor Eduardo Paes green light by Monday morning while The Dutch team said their own staff some 200 problems with the accommo- expected to travel to Brazil for the pledged to fix the problems, but had another eight were in the process of had resolved many of the issues that dation at the weekend - including water Games, many of them from the United appeared to make light of the receiving a full safety certification, beset their building, but they threat- running down the walls, dirty floors and States. Worries about security, the Zika Australians’ complaints by saying he Rio2016 spokesman Mario Andrada told ened to seek financial compensation for a strong smell of gas - but the list was virus and Brazil’s economic crisis could would place a kangaroo in front of their Reuters. their work. “We will evaluate this situa- now down to single figures. discourage some travelers and VIP accommodation to make them feel at “Twenty will be ready by today and tion with IOC and Rio 2016 after the Australia, which finished eighth in guests. Around 28 percent of Olympic home. “The mayor and I have a date on 31 should be ready by Thursday,” Games,” Chief of Mission Maurits the medals table in London four years tickets have yet to be sold. Wednesday and I believe there will be a Andrada said, a full eight days before Hendriks, said in a statement issued on ago, is to bring 410 athletes for the The problems at the village are not ceremonial handing over of the keys. I the opening ceremony. Sunday night. “This applies, for example, games. It received three of its floors in unlike those that have occurred before have arranged a little present for the The admission came a day after to financial consequences as a result of the athletes accommodation on other big spectacles in Brazil, such as mayor as well,” Chiller said. “I still say Australia’s delegation said it would not the measures we are taking and have Monday, and it expects to receive the the 2014 World Cup, when stadium that it will be the best village that I have move into the Olympic Village because been taken.” rest of the 15 floors by Wednesday, crews were still wielding paint brushes ever been in once these issues are com- it was “not safe or ready,” citing deficien- However, the head of the Australian Chiller said. and screwdrivers even minutes before plete.” Chiller said the Australian team cies like “blocked toilets, leaking pipes Olympic team, Kitty Chiller, thanked Australian Shelley Watts, competing kickoff. The new subway line, which will had paid the cost of putting its mem- and exposed wiring.” organizers on Monday for responding in the 60-kg female boxing category, connect the popular seaside neighbor- bers in hotels and some initial cleaning The litany of grievances from promptly to her concerns by deploying said she had been impressed by the offi- hoods of Copacabana and Ipanema to costs to make its accommodation habit- Australia, which moved members of its hundreds of maintenance people and cial accommodation when she arrived the Olympic facilities in Barra de Tijuca, able. “We’ll work out who pays the bill delegation into nearby hotels, revived cleaners. “There was fantastic progress on Monday. has suffered repeated delays and is still later on,” she added. — Reuters German champ savages Bach over IOC’s Russia stance BERLIN: Germany’s Olympic discus champion Robert Harting yesterday launched a savage ver- bal attack on compatriot Thomas Bach, presi- dent of the International Olympic Committee, for the IOC’s stance on state-run Russian doping. “For me, he is a part of the doping system, not the anti-doping system. I am ashamed of Thomas Bach,” Harting, who has long been a crit- ic of Bach, told SID, an AFP subsidiary. “Personally, I detest this person more than ever and am very ashamed that I have to work with him indirectly.” The IOC on Sunday declined to impose a blanket ban on all Russian competi- tors for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games after a World Anti-Doping Agency probe found evi- dence of a wide-ranging cheating system direct- ed from the top. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has banned all Russian com- petitors from the athletic’s section of the Rio Games, something Harting welcomes as “the correct action. This may be a wake-up call.” But with less than two weeks before the Games start, the IOC has controversially left the decision whether to ban Russian athletes from the other Olympic disciplines down to the indi- vidual sports federations. Bach defended the IOC’s decision saying it “respects the right of every clean athlete around the world”-something Harting passionately BARRA: In this file photo taken on Sunday, July 24, 2016, Russian Olympic Committee head rejects. The 31-year-old, who won the discus Alexander Zhukov, left, receives the official invitation for the 2016 Olympic games from the gold at London 2012 and three straight world International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during the ceremony celebrating titles from 2009 to 2013, says he has “no interest exactly one year ahead of the start of Rio de Janeiro’s Olympics, at Barra, in Rio de Janeiro, NEW DELHI: File photo, Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav displays his medal after win- Brazil. — AP ning against South Africa Richard Brian Addinall in the 74kg category wrestling at in feeling the pain” of any clean Russian athletes. the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. Yadav, who was to represent India in Harting says the IOC’s decision is a set-back in fraud in her country, to compete in Rio as a neu- Association, says he will give back the Olympic the 74kg category at the Olympics, said his food supplements were spiked after he the battle to drive doping from sport and says tral. Harting will be bidding to defend his Order, which was awarded to him in 2006 by tested positive for a banned steroid. — AP he “can’t understand the decision” which he Olympic title in Rio despite tearing a chest mus- Bach. “I think the decision is the severest blow to finds “simply embarrassing”. cle and suffering an inflamed right knee at the the integrity of sport and the Olympic princi- Harting says under Bach’s presidency, the IOC start of the year. He missed the entire 2014 sea- ples,” Gaeb said in a statement to SID. “I don’t has “reached a new level of disappointment”. son with a torn knee ligament. want to wear the recognition of an organisation Indian hopefuls claim Harting is also disappointed that an IOC Harting is not the only German annoyed with which betrays the ideals of sport.” ethics commission opted not to allow whistle- Bach. In protest at the IOC decision, Hans Gaeb branded the IOC’s decision not to allow innocence on doping blower Yuliya Stepanova, the Russian 800-metre Wilhelm Gaeb, the 80-year-old former Stepanova to run in Rio as a “shameless act and a runner who lifted the lid on systematic doping president of the German Table Tennis unique tribute to power politics”. — AFP NEW DELHI: Two Indian competitors have pered, saying the samples are sealed in the proclaimed their innocence after testing presence of the athlete. Yadav said he positive for banned steroids just days feared his food supplements were spiked, before they were to leave for the 2016 but he did not reveal who was responsible Trial and error calms waters for NZ’s Aleh Olympic Games in Rio. for it. “I believe that there is foul play Wrestler Narsingh Yadav, who was to involved in this entire episode. Someone WELLINGTON: Olympic sailing we needed to do and by doing that acknowledged that conditions in winds, while wind for the three represent India in the 74-kilogram category has sabotaged my food supplements and champion Jo Aleh’s preparations for you get pretty consistent results,” Rio, will be tricky and why they, and inshore courses were less pre- at the Olympics, said his food supplements water intake,” Yadav told NDTV station on the Rio de Janeiro Games have Aleh added.