Construction Hiccups at Two Olympic Park Venues

(ATR) The Olympic tennis center and velodrome are experiencing last minute disruptions to construction.

On Jan. 14 Rio City Hall said that the construction company in charge of building the tennis center would be removed citing a breach in the company’s contract for lack of progress. City Hall said in a statement that inactivity most of the month of December and early January led to the cancellation.

City officials said they are not worried about a disruption to the timeline for completing the tennis center and that multiple companies were already being contacted to finish the work.

Tennis held a test event in December, but at the time the venue was less than 90 percent completed, with auxiliary courts and stands still needing to be installed, as well as general works to finish the main stadium.

In a statement delivered to Around the Rings, the International Tennis Federation echoed their support to the Rio city government. The federation called the situation "not ideal," but expressed confidence the venue would be completed with time to spare.

The federation said that the center’s construction was "very far in advance" during the December test event and that everyone should "look forward to an outstanding Olympic Tennis Event in this beautiful new venue in August."

Velodrome Delays Cause Worry

The cycling test event in Rio has been pushed back a month to accommodate venue construction.

Originally scheduled for Mar. 18-20, track cycling will now be tested Apr. 29-May 1. Construction workers will not begin laying the track until February.

Rio 2016 said in a statement that the change in dates for the test event will not impact preparations for the sport. The statement says the organizing committee and the International Cycling Union "will continue to work closely together in the preparation and planning."

Construction for the velodrome has encountered numerous delays with Mayor Paes telling Around the Ringsin December that construction "there is suffering the most, and has given [City Hall] a hard time."

UCI is worried, saying in a statement it is "concerned that the velodrome construction in Rio is being further delayed and that the test event has also been delayed as a result."

In addition to construction delays UCI said that it shared the concern for athletes that must readjust their training schedules to comply with the new test event dates.

"It is crucial that all parties work together to ensure the very best conditions for the athletes both ahead of and during the games and guarantee that they compete in world class settings," the UCI statement added.

Written and reported by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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