Adding To Their Rio Headache, Aussies’ Laptops Stolen During Fire

The Australian Olympic contingent in Rio continues to get their Games off to a rocky start. First, the Aussies were due to move into the Athletes’ Village on July 21st, but opted to live in nearby hotels due to plumbing and electrical issues encountered in their apartments upon arrival in Brazil.

Once those were resolved and the team moved into the Village, the squad’s building experienced a small fire.  The small fire broke out in the rubbish in the underground car park of Building 23 in the Village, causing smoke to rise through the building, according to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) statement.

During the incident, about 100 team members were evacuated for approximately 30 minutes, but even that short amount of time proved to be enough time for a theft to occur.  In another headache for the Aussies, the AOC has confirmed that laptops, as well as team shirts and other personal items were stolen from the squad’s residence during the fire evacuation.

Said AOC spokesman Mike Tancred today, “We did lose some shirts and a couple of laptops, one on the fifth floor from a cycling official and one in the office downstairs.”

The AOC reportedly immediately took the precaution of stationing security guards on all floors of their building. The athletes involved in the robberies have not yet been identified.