(ATR) Gilbert Felli tells Around the Rings that there is no doubt the International Broadcast Center will be ready by the Olympic Games.
On Nov. 8, the IBC was handed over from the city of Rio de Janeiro to the Rio 2016 organizing committee and the Olympic Broadcast Services. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes passed a ceremonial key to Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman in a ceremony signifying the transfer of responsibility on the venue.
"There are no worries; we have a schedule [for the venue]," Felli said to ATR.
"We know that we start tomorrow morning and it will be okay."
Felli is the former executive director of the IOC who stepped down from the post last year. He now focuses full time on monitoring the troubleshooting the preparations in Rio de Janeiro. He attended the handover ceremony along with Mayor Paes, President Nuzman, and Rio de Janeiro State Governor Luiz Fernando Pezao.
Originally, construction for the IBC was to be completed by August 2015, one year out from the Games, but OBS chief Yiannis Exarchos told ATR in February that delays pushed the construction deadline to Oct. 31.
The IBC must be completed before other venues so that Rio 2016 and OBS can construct the broadcast centers that will be used by rights-holders during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Mayor Paes commended the work done to get the IBC ready for final preparations, telling reporters that the city of Rio and organizers "respect all deadlines," set forth by the IOC.
"We will show that not everything is a scandal or delayed work in Brazil," Paes said.
"The IBC was only delivered on time and cost because it was planned well in advance."
According to Rio 2016 Deputy General Director Leo Gryner all of the secondary construction needed to get the IBC operational will be finished by July 5, the building’s opening date.
"We have to finish a number of things here," Gryner outlined.
"We will install a secondary hit to support lighting, sound box, and all telecommunications cabling we have to do. We will then deliver the air devices conditioning, electric part of the building, the fire detection system, which is the responsibility of Rio 2016.
"OBS then will proceed to install the technical area, and begin to build the offices and studios of stations that will work here."
Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro
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