As the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Village continues to take shape, the process of selecting the furniture that will fill the apartments is in its final phase. From giant basketball players to powerful weightlifters, athletes of all shapes and sizes need to be considered. In order to ensure this is achieved, the organising committee has brought together a team of former and current athletes to test the equipment.

“The Games are all about the athletes and our priority is to meet their needs, so no one is in a better position to tell us what are the best options” said Luiz Gustavo de Almeida, who is heading up the committee’s furniture selection team. “The feedback from the athletes has been excellent, they drew our attention to small details that will make a big difference. The technical assessment they gave us will help us make our final decisions.”

Among the expert testers was judoka Ruan Isquierdo, who won bronze in the 100kg+ event at June’s Pan-American Open in El Salvador. He was pleased that the beds will be 2.17m long – as will be the basketball and volleyball players, traditionally the tallest athletes in the village.

“I tried to look at the furniture from the viewpoint of taller and heavier athletes and I was pleased with all the items,” said Isquierdo. “It’s really good to play a part, no matter how small, in organising the Games and helping make sure there are no hitches. Having somewhere comfortable to relax is one of the most important things for an athlete during competition.”

The testing group also included ex-basketball player and two-time Olympian Paulinho Villas Bôas and two retired swimmers: Flavia Nadalutti, who competed in the Montreal 1976 Games, and Ricardo Prado, who won silver in the 400m medley at Los Angeles 1984 and is chairman of the Rio 2016 Sport Advisory Committee.

They checked out the beds, bedside tables, chairs and cupboards available from pre-approved suppliers. Comfort, bed length and even cupboard door-handle design were among the features the athletes homed in on.

“The Sport Advisory Committee’s job is exactly this: to help organise the Games based on the athletes’ experience,” said Prado. “We have already travelled to various countries throughout the world, carrying our own equipment, and we know what a difference a few details can make.”

The group will be invited for two more consultations before the end of the first quarter of 2015, when purchases for Olympic and Paralympic Village furnishings will be finalised. Orders will be placed for 135,000 chairs, 46,000 tables and 32,000 cupboards, as well as 30,000 beds and bedside tables.    

The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Village, which will accommodate more than 18,000 guests, is scheduled to be completed the first half of 2016. It will cover an area of 475,000m² and consist of 31 buildings divided into seven condominiums, with a total of 3,604 apartments and 10,160 rooms.