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Kitty Chiller - Australia's best asset in keeping Rio officials honest

Kitty Chiller has been replaced as Australia's Olympic chef de mission (EPA/MARCELO SAYAO)
Expert
30th July, 2016
18

Kitty Chiller, Australia’s Chef de Mission in Rio, is one tough cookie.

Competing in the pentathlon at the Sydney 2000 Games, the horse she was riding threw back its head, smashing her nose.

Chiller completed the course, fainted, fell out of the saddle, and then competed in a three-kilometre run.

I wonder how long it will be before Kitty Chiller loses her cool, calm, and collected self in Rio. She doesn’t suffer fools, and in Rio they are a dime a dozen.

What else would you expect from a country reeling with their President Dilma Rousseff impeached, 41 of the 65 senators are under investigation for corruption, police and public servants haven’t been paid for weeks? The crime rate is through the roof, and inflation is running at over ten per cent, the highest in 15 years.

In short, Brazil is a shambles with Rio a leading light, and the way things are going, the Olympic Games will be a shambles as well.

Already Chiller’s patience has been sorely tested with the Australian building in the Olympic Village not fit to move in with toilets not flushing, electrical wiring exposed, water seeping out of electrical fittings, and the gas not connected.

Three days later all the problems were fixed to move in, and then there was a fire in the basement, with rubbish ignited by a cigarette in the non-smoking Village.

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The Rio mayor had only given Chiller the key to the city the day before to placate the Australian contingent.

Who, in their right mind, would want the key to a city of shambles?

Kitty Chiller handled it all with aplomb and grace. but she is a ticking bomb and woe betide the person on the wrong end of a Chiller blast.

There’s more drama in store, but not directly associated with the Australians.

The close friendship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and IOC President Thomas Back doesn’t pass the smell test.

The sporting world is still reeling after Bach refused to ban the entire Russian team from Rio, despite irrefutable evidence the Russians had embarked on state-controlled drug cheating for four years.

Bach left the banning to the various international governing sporting bodies to do his dirty work.

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Meanwhile, Putin has ridiculed the IAAF for banning the Russian track and field last November.

True to form, Putin has said the track and field gold medals will be devalued with no Russians competing.

Bad call Putin, the gold medals will be greatly enhanced with no Russian drug cheats in the field.

The Putin-Bach combination will end up being the story of the Rio Olympics, setting the IOC back 20 years.

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