Rio hopes it’s turned corner; IOC inspectors visit
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — Organisers of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 hope they’ve turned a corner in preparations, spurred on by Brazil’s better-than-expected World Cup and the role of IOC-appointed troubleshooter Gilbert Felli.
They’ll learn where they stand when IOC inspectors begin a three-day visit from Monday, checking venues and gauging tight deadlines with South America’s first games less than two years away.
Some issues are sure to come up at the closed-door meetings: Concern about a late start building the second-largest venue cluster, known as Deodoro; progress on a subway line extension; a lawsuit, which awaits a judge’s ruling, against the city of Rio and the developer of the Olympic golf course; availability of hotel rooms; and efforts to stem sewage flowing into the sailing venue at Guanabara Bay.
