Rio 2016: Sailing Stays at Polluted Guanabara Bay

(ATR) Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman says Olympic organizers "won’t hide or run from our problems."

"Our work is based on transparency and an open dialogue," he told the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur where he delivered a progress report.

"Be sure we will do very strong work. This team is united," Nuzman told the IOC members.

Nuzman revealed that "Focus under pressure" was the motto in the final year or preparations. "We are committed to reaching the finishing line with the same passion we had at the beginning of the journey," he said.

But Around the Rings has learned that the progress report presented by the Rio 2016 team to the IOC Session was in sharp contrast to the version given to the IOC Executive Board this week. Key trouble spots were glossed over at the Session, an IOC source said.

ATR is told that there are potential financial issues for Rio 2016 because government funding has been halted for a range of Olympic needs. At the IOC Session Saturday the difficulties were described as a "challenging political and economic backdrop".

Sailing Bay Pollution Clean-up

The chronic pollution at Guanabara Bay remains the biggest headache for Rio 2016 and the IOC with the year-to-go milestone next week. Organizers are also under intense pressure to finish the delayed International Broadcast Center by the end of October.

Nuzman touched on the ongoing struggle to clean-up the waters that are polluted with raw sewage, garbage and frequent fish kills.

"The sailing competition will not be moved to any other venue," he confirmed.

"Rio on the bay… we hold the pressure because we are committed to ensuring the bay is cleaned."

"We’ll not give up on Guanabara Bay," Mario Andrada, Rio 2016’s communications chief, told IOC members.

Andrada said a new pipe system was being installed "to move sewage elsewhere".

He says Rio 2016 will be open with NOCs, teams and athletes about the testing of waters. "We remain committed to being absolutely transparent with athletes about the state of the bay before every day of competition," he added, "the same for Copacabana and Lagoa [venue for rowing]."

IOC president Thomas Bach told a press conference earlier this week that that Rio 2016 had presented a package of measures in a bid to accelerate its clean-up of the dirty waters.

Guanabara Bay is a "prime focus" of concern said Nawal El Moutawakel in her report as chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Rio. She will convene the next meeting of her group in 10 days.

Bach travels to Brazil next week for the 12-month countdown event Aug. 5 when invitations are dispatched to the athletes of the world to attend the 2016 Games.

Agberto Guimaraes, Rio 2016’s executive director of sport, underlined some progress made across venues and the test event program ahead.Barra Olympic Park is now 86 percent complete. Deodoro, the delay-hit second Olympic hub where eight sports will be staged is 69 percent finished. The Olympic Village is 84 percent ready.

"Deodoro is moving quite well. After a little bit of a setback, it’s now on track," he said.

There was no mention of the International Broadcast Center, one of the biggest and most expensive Olympic projects. It faces a race against time to be completed in the next four months.

Yiannis Exarchos, chief executive of Olympic Broadcasting Services, told ATR this week that the project was under pressure but should be finished by the Oct. 31 deadline.

A total of 44 test events are underway before the Games open; 19 in 2015 and 25 next year. In August alone, triathlon, rowing, equestrian, sailing, road cyling and marathon swimming Olympic tests are scheduled.

El Moutawakel said the next part of the operational phase for the Games would see an increase in the volume of work and decision-making.

"Planning goes into more and more details, with a large number of contracts signed," she said. This would include assembling a workforce of around 200,000 people.

"A new governance model must be put in place, efficient, integrated, working as one… allowing every decision-making in a timely manner," the Rio 2016 inspection chair said.

Reported by Mark Bisson in Kuala Lumpur

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