The future of the golf course under construction for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 is unclear after the city of Rio and the course developer - both defendants in a lawsuit - failed to agree to changes proposed by a Brazilian court.
Rio judge Eduardo Klausner said he would rule on the fate of the course unless the defendants and a public prosecutor returned with a compromise. The judge said work could continue, but new ground could not be unearthed on a course that is being carved out of a nature reserve.
The defendants offered to alter three holes of the layout, which is behind schedule and facing tight deadlines. The public prosecutor, who alleges the city and the developer have violated environmental laws, asked the developer to yield a large parcel of land being earmarked for luxury apartments.
Golf is returning to the Olympics after a 112-year absence. But legal challenges, disputes over land ownership and questions regarding the course's impact on a fragile ecosystem, have caused delays dating back almost five years.
The dispute again raises questions about preparations for the Rio Games, which seem to be moving quicker in recent months after well-publicised slowdowns and public criticism from International Olympic Committee members.
"We have made a commitment to have the Olympics. That's a fact," Klausner said. "At the same time we have an interest in preserving the nature there. What was lost was lost, now we need a solution that will attend to both demands."
He called the redesign of the three holes "very viable."
Marcus Leal, a public prosecutor, said he was concerned about the impact on native flora and fauna.
"We want to make sure that the area is preserved in the long term," he said. "Having a golf course there doesn't mean that the local vegetation is being protected."
Mariana Bruce, speaking for the activist group "Golf for Whom?" called the defendants' proposals "shameful."
"Prosecutors and society should not accept it," she said. "If the argument is that they can't change anything because most of the course is already there, then it opens a precedent to environmental crimes everywhere. That shouldn't be a defence."
The public prosecutor alleges the city violated environmental rules in authorising the course.
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