John Coates, vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has revealed that the preparations of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics are the "worst he's ever seen," an article by Bloomberg reported. Coates has seen preparations for Olympic Games in the past four decades, saying that the current setup in Brazil is even worse than that of Athens, Greece in 2004.
Based on Coates' experience, the Rio preparations are already very late and he warned organizers that a second host is unavailable in case the Brazil setup will not be completed on time. Construction work has not yet started in many venues. Another problem was the quality of the water. Coates said that these are not expected to be done in less than two years, writes Al Jazeera.
Coates said, "The IOC has adopted a more hands-on role, it is unprecedented for the IOC but there is no plan B. We are going to Rio. We have become very concerned, they are not ready in many ways. We have to make it happen and that is the IOC approach, you can't walk away from this."
In a report by The Guardian, the 2004 Athens preparations were already terrible, which involved several construction delays and worker issues. Some venues were still being finished on the eve of the games; however, they were delivered in the last minute.
Since February, organizers have already forwarded their concerns about the construction works not being done on time. There were several issues raised such as bad communication, rising expenses, and protests among workers. This is the first time that the games will be hosted by a South American county.
There are three budgets in the Brazil games covering infrastructure, organization and transportation costs.
Coates said in a BBC report, "No-one is able to give answers at the moment." He added that the city itself has social issues that need to be tended too.
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