Unfinished velodrome a concern for Rio

The unfinished cycling arena is the biggest issue facing the Rio Olympics, just 100 days before the Games begin.

The unfinished cycling arena is the biggest issue facing the Rio Olympics 100 days before the games begin, the city's mayor said on Wednesday.

The velodrome is only 85 per cent ready and workers need another 30 to 40 days to finish the structure, meaning there will not be time for a proper test event before the games begin on Aug. 5.

"The biggest problem, the biggest challenge and the job that gave us most problems and missed the deadline was the velodrome," Mayor Eduardo Paes told reporters in Rio. "The track is practically done. We have 30 to 40 more days of intense work but we are on schedule."

Rio's original plan was to use the velodrome built for the 2007 Pan American Games but that was scuppered after officials said the venue did not meet Olympic standards.

The old one was dismantled for rebuilding in the centre of Brazil and a brand new one erected in Rio's Olympic Park, the main cluster of venues.

Paes, who declared the park open on April 12, said it was 98 per cent complete with the tennis centre needing last-minute work. The main courts are ready but temporary seating still needs to be installed, he said.

Paes also announced public holidays on three days during the games, both for the opening and closing ceremonies and on Aug. 18, the day of the men's triathlon event in Copacabana.

Following a strategy used during the 2014 World Cup, officials hope to reduce the amount of traffic by keeping cars off the road and through the use of special traffic lanes for Olympics visitors.

Paes said 260km of traffic lanes will be used to facilitate the movement of athletes and officials. The lanes will be opened for tests on July 25 and be fully operational six days later.

Rio was last month declared the fourth most-congested city in the world by navigational device manufacturer TomTom.

"We are at the point many people doubted," Paes said. "But we are going well ... 100 days is always a landmark, it's a demanding period and there is a lot of pressure."


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world