Rebelo on Rio; Olympic Stadium Delay; Golf Course Imagery

Rebelo on Rio

Sports minister Aldo Rebelo says there's no danger Olympic preparations will slip behind over the next year as Brazil focuses on the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup.

Asked by Around the Rings during a Monday conference callwhat assurances he can give the IOC about preparations for the Games, he said Brazil has offered all assurances required by the IOC and fulfilled all commitments.

"Infrastructure works for the Olympic Games all have schedules," he told reporters. "All have the advantage of being built in a single city."

Rebelo said his ministry of sports had a special team coordinating Games preparations with other ministries "working in perfect synchronization with the city, state and Rio 2016 organizing committee."

The sports minister gave Brazil's Confederations Cup preparations 9/10, but admitted the six host stadia could have been delivered earlier to allow for test events.

Rebelo promised that the six other stadiums hosting the World Cup would be ready by December as planned.

He rebuffed concerns that World Cup stadiums in areas where there are no major football teams would become white elephants, saying the venues were conceived as multipurpose facilities which would be kept busy with non-sports events such as concerts and exhibitions.

Asked about transport and urban mobility, he said the Brazilian government was "monitoring this on daily basis," emphasizing that the airports, security, telecommunications and urban mobility at the Confederations Cup would be "compatible with expectations of the country and the world."

Rio Confirms Stadium Delay

Officials in Rio de Janeiro say the stadium set for use in the 2016 Olympics will remain closed until 2015 due to structural problems with its roof.

City authorities said it will take approximately 18 months to fix the Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium, known locally as the Engenhao.

The stadium, originally built for the 2007 Pan American Games, has been closed since March 26 after a study showed the roof was susceptible to wind damage.

Olympics organizers affirm that the city will deliver the stadium in time for the test events planned for the 2016 Games.

Rio Golf Gets Bird’s Eye Treatment

New imagery depicts a bird’s-eye view of the golf course site for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Getty Images published Thursday a series of four aerial photos, the first of any kind since construction kicked off in April after a protracted legal battle over the land used for the links.

According to PGA.com, "a large inland lake surrounded by several holes" can be seen on the right side of the photo with a practice range on the far left.

The course, designed by U.S. architect Gil Hanse, begins and ends adjacent to the range, in the lower left of the photo.

Towards the top of the photo is Lake Marapendi, a long, skinny lake running alongside several holes.

At the very top, of course, is the Atlantic Ocean.

Rio will host golf’s first Olympics competition in 112 years. Paris and St. Louis staged tournaments at the 1900 and 1904 Summer Games.

Written by Nicole Bennett, Mark Bisson and Matthew Grayson.

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