Olympic Park on schedule

The construction works for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Park are on schedule, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said Thursday (Jan. 22). Spanning an area of 1.18 million m², the complex will host the largest number of competition events at Rio 2016 in 16 Olympic and 9 Paralympics sports.

“We'll meet deadlines and stay on budget. Of course there may be a few issues or delays here and there in an event of this magnitude, but the urbanization project is well under way, and we're leaving the finishing touches for later on towards the end of the project,” the mayor said.

About the velodrome works which had been three weeks behind schedule, Paes said it was “a minor issue” and they have taken action to speed it up. “That project will need special attention because of its complexity, but now we're back on track and hopefully there'll be no further issues,” he added.

“Now the good news is, these are designed as temporary venues. The handball [stadium] is going to be converted into four local schools, and the aquatics center is going to turn into two arenas with two swimming pools. Everything is being carefully executed so that we won't be left with the white elephants when it's over. The only venue that we'll be keeping as-is is the Olympic Training Center for elite sports. That where our sports legacy will be,” he concluded.

Translated by Mayra Borges