Members of the Chinese gymnastics team putting the shower curtains in their quarters at the Olympic Village in Rio. (Photo : Twitter)
Chinese sports fans took to social media to decry what they claimed to be the deplorable treatment of the national team in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Several pictures making rounds online showed the team's quarters in the Olympic Village in a not so perfect condition, with beds and even a sink breaking down and holes present in the ceilings, the Daily Mail reported.
Other pictures showed athletes and officials trying to keep everything together using duct tape. On the other hand, a viral video showed the Chinese table tennis team installing the curtain rails for their shower area.
Reports said that, due to delays during construction, the Chinese dorms, along with that of the Australian team, were not finished in time for the first batch of athletes that arrived last week, with water and electricity yet to be installed in some rooms.
Athletes also had to contends with poor training facilities in the Village, with the swimming team having to cut their training session short due to the toilets in the pool area being blocked.
Due to the not so ideal conditions the athletes had to go through, Weibo users have started calling the Rio Games as the "worst ever". One user further said that the 2012 London Games as fairing much better now compared to Rio. Chinese sports fans had previously slammed the organizers of the London Olympics for what they perceived as unfair treatment against the national team during that iteration.
However, despite the mishaps, the national team expressed optimism that they will still be able to perform at the highest level, the team's Chef de Mission Liu Peng dais. Liu joined the athletes and other team officials during the flag raising ceremony formally welcoming them in the Village, China Daily reported.
China is expected to once again make a huge medal haul in the Games, with a large bulk coming from sports like badminton, gymnastics, diving, shooting, table tennis, and weightlifting.
