The living conditions at the Rio Olympics are not up to par, at least according to Dallas Mavericks and Australian big man Andrew Bogut. However, it appears that Team USA will not have to worry about the poor facilities in Olympic Village, because they will be staying on a luxury cruise ship. From Bill Chappell of NPR:
In a move that could be interpreted as indulgent or prescient — or both — the U.S. men’s basketball team at the Rio Olympics will stay aboard a luxury cruise ship rather than the spartan facilities at the athletes village.
It appears the U.S. women will also be living aboard the Silver Cloud, according to media reports.
This is not exactly a shocking decision for Team USA to make; the team also stayed on a cruise liner in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and usually opt for more luxurious options:
“USA Basketball teams haven’t stayed in the Olympic Village since the 1988 teams did,” says the federation’s chief media officer, Craig Miller. He adds, “Our teams are extremely active in supporting their U.S. teammates.”
The women’s team have yet to confirm that they will be staying aboard the ship, but Miller stated that the men’s team will not be the only inhabitants of the luxury liner:
Miller confirmed that the male basketball players aren’t the only ones who’ll be staying on what has now been identified as a cruise ship with nearly 200 rooms. He says the ship was retained by computer network giant Cisco, which sponsors both USA Basketball and the International Olympic Committee.
