Laureus Cancels Rio Awards Ceremony

The reputation of Rio de Janeiro as an event host in the sporting world took another blow on Wednesday.

Laureus announced that its World Sports Awards will not be held in Rio this year as the city attempts to ready itself for hosting the World Cup and the Olympics over the next three years.

"Laureus and the state of Rio de Janeiro have agreed that the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards will not be staged in Rio," read a statement, according to the AP.

The Rio state government issued a statement as well, saying it would "settle outstanding payments" owed to Laureus. Exact figures were undisclosed.

Reports in the Brazilian media indicate the cancellation centers around a monetary dispute between event organizers and the Rio state government.

Just a few months prior, the Soccerex conference, a football trade show, was cancelled. Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said the decision was due to "civil unrest" in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, though the Rio government claimed the move came in a dispute over tax breaks.

"We had three fabulous years [of Soccerex in Rio] and something has gone amiss," Revie said at the time. "It’s mind-boggling they can do this with four weeks to go."

The Laureus Awards have been dubbed "the Oscars of sports" and were originally awarded to Rio for 2013 and 2014. At the ceremony held last March, Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis took the top prizes.

Laureus said new plans would be revealed "shortly."

Meanwhile, preparations for the two major events to be held in Brazil continue to lag behind. Both Jerome Valcke of FIFA and IOC president Thomas Bach will pay visits to Brazil next week to check in on the progress of World Cup and Olympic preparations.

Written by Nick Devlin

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