Rio drops water polo venue

Published May 22, 2015

RIO DE JANEIRO: The venue scheduled to host water polo at next year’s Rio Olympics will be dropped from the Games, after months of construction delays and a funding shortfall, officials said on Wednesday.

The Julio Delamare aquatic park, near the famed Maracana football stadium, had been scheduled to host first phase matches.

But the $20 million needed to refurbish the venue has not been secured, and state government chief of staff Leonardo Espindola said the project would have to be scrapped as it is “just too costly”. Espindola said the organisers tried to secure the funding from a third-party consortium that funded the multimillion Maracana stadium redo last year, but it refused to back the project.

The state government also said it did not have the money, Espindola told reporters on the sidelines of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting to assess Brazil’s readiness to host next year’s Games.

The water polo events could be relocated either to the Olympic park where diving and swimming events are taking place, or to the Deodoro venue in northern Rio de Janeiro, Espindola said.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...