IOC Forms Task Forces to Boost Rio 2016 Preps

(ATR) The IOC is creating a construction task force for Rio 2016 as part of a series of special measures designed to get the trouble-hit project back on track.

Christophe Dubi, deputy Olympic Games executive director, announced the news Tuesday to the ASOIF general assembly meeting in Belek on the sidelines of SportAccord.

"We have to have special measures in place and we have done it in the past," he said. "To get to this position was a constant battle," he added, saying some of the lessons learnt from fast-track preparations for the Sochi Games would be applied to Rio.

Other task forces will be formed to accelerate all aspects of preparations, he revealed.

Dubi admitted there was no time to waste in finalization of venue designs and start of construction. "This will need extremely tight monitoring to follow each and every milestone," he said, so there was no further scope for delays and venues were ready for test events.

"We will integrate experts from construction industry and sport," he said of the construction task force.

"We have to make sure we have a good coordination and information exchange between all of us," he added, noting that any construction problem would be communicated immediately under the new monitoring system.

Gilbert Felli, the current Olympic Games executive director, who is transitioning to an IOC trouble-shooting role in Rio in August, would bring his "tremendous experience" of delivering many successful Olympics to the task force. He will play a key role in interactions with the Brazilian government.

Better integration between all parties, Rio 2016, the IFs and IOC was needed, Dubi said.

He confirmed that the IOC initiative would come into force from September. Other special measures would be announced and other task forces named to give the IOC an "operational mechanism and firepower to follow [Rio 2016] on a day to day basis".

Rio 2016 Wants IFs Cooperation

Rio’s sports director Agberto Guimaraes acknowledged the grave concerns around preparations but said organizers and international federations can meet the issues head-one to deliver "great Games."

Guimaraes addressed the ASOIF general assembly in Belek on the sidelines of SportAccord. His presentation followed harsh criticism from president Francesco Ricci Bitti, who blamed the Brazilian government for construction delays.

"All of you know how much I understand the value of your work, help an cooperation and what we need to do to showcase sports and athletes at heart of Games," he told officials from the 28 sports present.

"I still think we can pull this thing together and have great Games," he said, adding the moment he didn’t believe targets could be achieve he would "sign my resignation."

Referring to the construction program ahead and "no moment to lose" remarks from the IOC coordination commission for Rio two weeks ago, he said: "I know we face some challenges with lateness of some venues but I know we can do it with the help of federations."

He urged the leaders of the 28 sports "to push, be demanding… and help me to survive and got through this whole thing alive and well".

Guimaraes said he had spoken to Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman this week. Nuzman was unable to travel to Belek because of pressing meetings with Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff’s new chief of staff about Olympicmatters.

The problems are mounting for Rio, as the IOC seeks an acceleration in building work. Construction workers downed tools at the main Rio 2016 Olympic Park last Thursday. The 2,000 workers were still on strike today in a dispute concerning which union represents them. Last week, the executive in charge of Olympic construction projects for the city of Rio de Janeiro quit.

Guimaraes said he was hoping Nuzman’s meetings would lead to "some good news" in the next couple of days.

He went on to lay bare in some detail Rio 2016’s construction issues.

The tender for construction of the Deodoro Olympic Park venues only went out this month. A contractor will be chosen in July, he said, with work to begin soon after. Eight IFs will call stage their sports in the second Olympics hub.

What leapt out from the slides shown to delegates by Guimaraes were the completion dates for some of the venues that leave little time for test events.

The velodrome is scheduled for completion in January 2016, with handball and aquatics venues due to be finished a month later.

Between July this year and May next, 44 test events are due to be held, he said, which are being branded Aquece Rio (warm-up Rio) events. All sports managers will be in place by this September.

Despite the parlous situation facing Rio 2016, only two questions came from federations.

He answered concerns from sailing about water pollution and associated health risks by saying Rio 2016 was meeting with stakeholders to gain control of the problem.

Written by Mark Bisson

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