Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, is confident problems in the Olympic Village will be resolved and said he expects Rio to put on a "great" Games when he arrived in Brazil on Wednesday. There have long since been concerns over whether Rio would be ready to stage the Olympics next month and issues with the facilities have been raised less than a fortnight before the event gets under way.
An organising committee official this week confirmed that more than half of the buildings that will house Olympic athletes during the Games have yet to pass safety inspections. Australian officials said they arrived to find conditions "uninhabitable" upon arrival, while delegations from other nations have also express concerns over the facilities.
Bach said he expects any problems to be sorted out when he landed in Rio and made a trip to the village just nine days ahead of the opening ceremony. He said: "The Olympic Village will be fantastic. We have received assurances that the few remaining challenges will be overcome by Friday.
"The teams are in general very happy, the athletes are happy, they like the food, they like the Olympic atmosphere and you can feel the excitement building up."
He added: "There are high expectations for these Games because of the passion Brazilians have for sport and their joy of life. We will have a great Olympic atmosphere here in Rio. Of course, just a few days before the Games start there are always a number of issues to be solved.
"The Brazilians will solve them, and you can already feel the Olympic energy here at the airport and in the city with all the smiling volunteers full of excitement. We are looking forward to a great Olympic Games. As you know, we have always had confidence in Brazil and the Brazilians."
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