2016 Summer Olympics starts with faulty plumbing and cramped living quarters in the olympic village. In the same time, Rio Organizing Committee will live on Norwegian Getaway.
The 4,000-passenger cruise ship was chatered for 40 days in order to serve as a floating hotel for the Rio committee, corporate sponsors, members of the National Organizing Committees, International Olympic Federation and Rio Host Committee.
The vessel will be anchored at Pier Maua in Rio de Janeiro port (Brazil) one day ahead of the Olympic opening on August 4. The ship will stay there until August 21,
Landry & Kling, the brokerage firm behind the charter deal, began planning the charter in 2007, according to USA Today. The deal is the largest charter in the company's history.
The announcement comes just after news that the athletes' village in western Rio's Barra da Tijuca is far from up to snuff, with the Australian Olympic delegation dubbing the area unlivable due to a variety of problems - including gas, electricity, plumbing, blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells, dirty floors. UK's and NZ's living areas are also problematic.
Teams have already begun moving to the village, which is comprised of 31 buildings and 3604 apartments, and will host more than 17,000 sportists and officials.