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Rio mayor criticises Australian Olympic body for favela ban

Rio de Janeiro's mayor has criticised the Australian Olympic Committee as a "source of aggressions to Brazil".

Children play in a water fountain next to Olympic rings at Madureira Park in Rio de Janeiro
Children play in a water fountain next to Olympic rings at Madureira Park in Rio de Janeiro Source: AAP

The Australian Olympic Committee has been branded aggressive by Rio de Janeiro's mayor, who has criticised Australia for declaring the city's favelas off-limits during the Rio Games.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes says "the Australian committee has been a source of aggressions to Brazil".

"There is a lot of ignorance about Rio and Brazil, a certain drama of how things are," Paes told a news conference in Rio.

AOC president John Coates ruffled Rio in April 2014 when he described the Brazilian city's preparations for this year's Games as the worst he had seen.

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But the AOC said on Wednesday it was satisfied with progress made by Rio to host South America's first Olympics this August.

"We love Brazil and we look forward to sharing in the excitement of the Rio Games," AOC spokesman Mike Tancred said in a statement.

"Rio has made tremendous progress with their Games preparations and the Australian athletes are all looking forward to competing in RIO. We have no doubt Rio will deliver."

Australian Olympic athletes and officials will be barred from visiting Rio's favelas, on advice from security experts.

"We have a team of 450 athletes, there is no way we could manage, or police, visits to the favelas by our athletes," Tancred said.

"We have taken advice from our security expert who is part of the Australian Olympic Team travelling to Rio in August.

"He has advised that it would be impossible for us to allow our athletes to visit the favelas because we could not control visits involving a large number of athletes going to different places at different times."

Tancred said Australian athletes would "certainly engage with the residents of Rio and they will join in the fun on Copa beach".

"But the favelas are areas we cannot control and the personal safety of our athletes must come first," he said.

Rio's favelas are among the most violent areas of the city but also attract thousands of visitors on formal and informal tours each year.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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