Rio de Janeiro, April 12 (IANS) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) coordination commission has praised progress but warned that the time was limited on the first day of their final inspection visit ahead of Rio Olympic Games here.
Less than four months to the start of Rio 2016 Olympic Games, IOC coordination commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel on Monday officially opened the Main Press Centre (MPC) and Live Site at the Olympic Park, along with Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman, reports Xinhua.
“We are very optimistic. We will hold a great Olympics in an innovative way,” Paes said. He emphasised that all the constructions delivered on Monday are paid with 100 percent private funds.
El Moutawakel also hailed the MPC as a “unique and beautiful venue”. “From here all the beautiful story will go to the world. The stories of athletes are going to achieve their dreams, to break records and to win medals. About 5500 journalists will be living there for the entire Olympic Games to tell the beautiful stories.”
The group then travelled across the Park to open the Live Site, billed as a “conviviality area for the public bordering the Jacarepagua Lagoon and part of the Olympic Park’s public domain”.
The area, consisting of 26,000 square metres, has capacity for 25,000 people. It is located at the end of the Olympic Way — the winding path inspired by the Copacabana boardwalk which runs through the whole Park.
Monday’s inauguation was also joined by the members from IOC coordination commission, among whom are Tsun-Ting Fok and Ching-Kuo Wu.
“In the past seven years, we participated in all of the ten visit of IOC coordination commission. Right now only a few months left before the start of the Olympics. In the period of seven years, Olympics bring lots of changes to Rio,” Fok said.
However he pointed that comparing with the last visit in August 2015, this time Brazil is suffering from the political and economic crisis. He claimed the Games will be unaffected by the ongoing political problems across Brazil. “Right now the time is limited and every day is important.”
Wu admitted that deadlines remain “tight” but claimed they are pleased with everything they have seen so far.
The Municipal Olympic Company responsible for construction work claimed last week that the Olympic Park is now 98 percent completed.
