Rio Assures IOC Amid Brazilian Crises -- On-the-Scene

(ATR) Rio mayor Eduardo Paes on Wednesday sought to assure the IOC that the country's financial and political crises will not hamper the final months of Olympic preparations.

Paes spoke to the IOC Executive Board via video link, while Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman and his delegation presented an update to EB members in Lausanne.

The mayor laid out Brazil's economic woes and the process of impeachment facing embattled president Dilma Rousseff. Nuzman spoke only about Games preparations

Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada told reporters that Paes dealt with all of the current crises facing Brazil in the presentation: "Of course he did; it's the main issue of the political crisis."

Andrada said Paes presented Brazil's problems "with full transparency" in an hour-long Rio progress report to the IOC.

With the political and economic crisis dominating the run-in to the Rio Games, he said one "good thing" to emerge from Rousseff's predicament was that "people know there is an impeachment process", suggesting that it would not hinder Rio's final seven months of preparations.

Rio 2016 sought to clear up issues regarding budget restructuring with less than nine months until the Olympics. Not wanting the city to be on the hook for excess costs, Rio 2016 has been reviewing and cutting "back of house" services from their budget to ensure costs fall under the original $7.6 Billion Reais plan.

Nuzman said that budget restructurings were "normal, for all Games" at this point in time in preparations. At one point, Rio 2016 had considered charging NOCs for use of air conditioning in the Olympic village to save money, before deciding that it would be an unnecessary cut.

IOC vice president Craig Reedie spoke of some of challenges ahead for Rio 2016 in comments to reporters in Lausanne.

"There is a massive improvement of the situation in the past few months; that is good news," he said. "Now you have to deliver the service levels that athletes and international federations expect. And they have political and economical difficulties."

"Inevitably it will affect the games," he said, noting that inflation issues may arise.

When asked if he was confident in Rio 2016 delivering a great Games, Reedie said: "I am sure. We have to have total confidence. We have come a very long way. There are challenges… I think they and we will have to [meet]."

Nuzman led the Rio 2016 delegation to the Olympic capital, which also included sports director Agberto Guimarães and director of NOC relations Mario Cilenti. The Rio 2016 president updated members on many aspects of the Games, while Guimarães spent considerable time explaining progress on sports and venues.

Nuzman said that the next six months will be "long, hard work" for the organization committee which has begun taking over completed venues from City Hall to prepare them for the Olympics. He said other problems that Brazil is facing "will be solved by themselves," and organizers are only focused on the task of delivering a great Olympics.

"I think the most important thing is nothing will be affected for the athletes, nothing will affect the organization of the Games for the international federations and the NOCs," Nuzman added.

"The most important... that we will deliver a great games and we will follow what we are explaining by showing the preparation is going well."

The Rio 2016 chief went on to share that the IOC, NOCs and IFs all believed in the assurances given about the quality of water venues. He said athletes will be safe competing in marathon swimming, rowing, sailing and triathlon events.

Recent testing by the AP continued to show high levels of viruses in the waterways of Rio de Janeiro, although Rio 2016 and the IOC are sticking with World Health Organization standards that do not require the testing for viruses.

Written by Mark Bisson in Lausanne and Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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