gin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last

RIO DE JANEIRO -- A near-diplomatic incident -- as Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes termed it -- came to an end on Wednesday ahead of the Olympics.The Australian delegation gave the mayor a tiny boxing kangaroo doll as the sign of a truce. It also said its now happy with its rooms at Rios Olympic Athletes Village.The 700-member delegation refused to check in three days earlier because of water and gas leaks, electrical shorts, malfunctioning toilets and general filth.The unfinished village, built at a cost of about $1.5 billion, marks the first organizational crisis of South Americas first Olympics, which open in just over a week. Attention now shifts to dozens of venues, which will be filling up in the next few days with thousands of athletes hoping to practice. Problems here could make village problems seems small.It was almost a diplomatic thing, the mayor said, speaking to Australian officials and members of the mens field hockey team at the 31-building village.Paes apologized and acknowledged Australias was the worst building.Australia was right, he said. It was not in good shape. That was a mistake of the organization. What we have to do now is go ahead and organize it. Theyve got their building now, and I hope things go well from now on.As his offering, Paes gave delegation head Kitty Chiller the keys to the city, and a doll representing the official mascot Vinicius.Australian officials said about 50 athletes were living in the village on Wednesday accompanied by almost 100 additional staff members.Rio organizers said 2,902 people occupied the village on Wednesday -- 849 of them athletes.The village will accommodate 18,000 athletes and staff at its peak, but many delegations are still away at private training venues for a few more days. The crunch should come next week in the run-up to the opening ceremony on Aug. 5.After battling leaks for a week, Australia complained openly on Sunday. Dozens of other delegations also flagged up problems about their rooms, with many calling in their own workmen to fix the problems.The complaints led to hundreds of cleaners, plumbers, safety inspectors and electricians working 24-7 to resolve the issues.On Wednesday, Brazilian labor inspectors said they would fine the Rio organizing committee nearly $100,000 (about 315,000 reals) for hiring workers without proper contracts required by law. Inspector Hercules Terra told the Globo network that about 630 workers did not enjoy benefits that protect them from workplace injuries.The same inspector also said the organizing committee was going to be punished for withholding documents that would show how the employees were hired.Paes was asked four times about who would pay any bills run up by teams trying to fix their own problems. He walked away without answering, which Chiller also noted.He left immediately after that question, she said. Well sort all that out afterwards.Chiller promised to speak out again if things are not ready.Everything that weve ever said, and everything I will continue to say is about making sure that we have the best possible environment for our athletes, she said. And well stop at nothing to ensure that we get that. Whatever that takes.---Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report.---Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP .His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade Jack Ham Steelers Jersey .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Jack Lambert Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Joe-Greene-Jersey/ . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. James Conner Womens Jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Ernie Stautner Womens Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Our NFL Insiders debate the best head-coaching candidates for the Los Angeles Rams. Plus: Which teams are in danger of being upset in Week 15? Where will Tyrod Taylor be playing in 2017??Who is the biggest threat to the Patriots? And which contender is more likely to be undone in the postseason by its defense?Whom would you hire if youre the Rams?Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Josh McDaniels would get the first call -- a creative offensive mind who consistently exposes defensive matchups and maximizes his personnel on the field. WWith his system, along with a coaching staff that is ready to teach, McDaniels can be the guy to advance the development of Jared Goff.dddddddddddd Plus, after working under Bill Belichick, I would trust that McDaniels is ready to take a head-coaching job again. You want a sleeper pick? Jim Bob Cooter in Detroit. Look at the job he has done with Matthew Stafford.John Clayton, senior NFL writer: ' ' '