Rio Olympics are worst ever, say Chinese social media users

There are concerns about the safety of China's teams, while athletes have been complaining on social media about the state of their accommodation, which they say is hindering their training.

Many social media users are already calling the games in Brazil "the worst Olympics ever".

They say the event wins a gold medal in bad, making London 2012, which was criticised by some, look good by comparison.

There are 416 Chinese Olympians in Rio.

Security worries

State media have been voicing concerns about safety since April, when trial events were held.

At the time, Xinhua News Agency identified a "security issue" after Chinese women fencers were robbed and shooting team members found "unauthorised payments" on their credit cards.

This week, the foreign ministry warned Chinese visitors to avoid "dangerous" areas of Rio and vowed to increase protection for Chinese athletes after a hurdler fell victim to a scam.

Shi Dongpeng said on Sina Weibo that his luggage - including his laptop - had been stolen in an elaborate hoax involving a distraction in which he was apparently vomited on.

'Shoddy accommodation'

State media have used overseas-facing English language platforms to tell international readers about the conditions that Chinese athletes face.

Xinhua's @XHSports account on Twitter criticises the supposedly shoddy, and in some instances unsafe, accommodation for athletes.

It carries pictures, including an image of a table tennis player's room showing a gaping hole in the ceiling. Other posts say there is no electricity, or even water, in some rooms.

Xinhua also takes a dig at the selection of Western food at the Olympic village, saying, "For #TeamChina athletes, it seems they can not find much to their tastes".

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