The organisers of the 2016 Olympic Games are reviewing their security arrangements in light of recent events in Paris but have insisted that plans for Rio de Janeiro remain on track despite heavy criticism about their progress last year.
On a visit to London, Mario Andrada, the Rio 2016 director of communications, confirmed that the recent terrorist attacks in France had led to a review of security arrangements. “We worked for the [2014] World Cup with a system that linked the state police, the federal police, the federal intelligence agency and the military. Our security plan has been approved by all levels of government,” he said. “I understand from the security director that they review their plans on a bi-weekly basis and that the Paris incident was the theme of a recent revision.”
He also said organisers hoped the main athletics venue would become known as the Olympic Stadium after the Games rather than keeping its present name. It is currently named after João Havelange, the 98-year-old former Fifa president who was forced to give up his honorary position within the International Olympic Committee after being implicated in the $100m ISL bribery scandal. As is the case in all Olympics, the athletics venue will be known as the Olympic Stadium for the competition but Andrada said he expects the name to be retained afterwards. Locally, most know the stadium by its nickname, Engenhão.
Last April, the Australian IOC member John Coates said preparations for Rio were the “worst ever”. But following a World Cup widely seen as a success operationally and moves by the IOC to accelerate progress, by August Coates was saying the prognosis was “much, much better”.
Andrada said the successful staging of the World Cup, which passed off peacefully and with few logistical problems even if serious questions remain over the legacy use of the stadiums, had eased the pressure on organisers. Andrada said: “It [the World Cup] eased a lot of pressure from us in a way, because Brazil proved capable. There were zero security issues,” he said. “In the end, it was a very positive experience for the country. We gained confidence and proved that we could do it.
“If you go through the nuts and bolts, there were probably a lot of details that could be improved. But that happens with any major event. People enjoyed it.”
Andrada said one of the main causes of concern – the readiness of a new golf course for the sport’s debut in the Games – was now on track. Up to 50 people remain camped outside the site in protest against the use of land that was formerly a nature reserve, but Andrada said construction was complete.
“The grassing is completed, we have completed the construction phase. Now the grass needs to grow. It’s easy in Brazil because there’s plenty of sunlight,” he said. “We are pretty confident we’re doing the right thing from an environmental perspective. There is a legal discussion still going on.”
Another major concern remains Rio’s choked transport infrastructure, but he said that the new metro and rapid transit buses would enable competitors, spectators and the media to move around the city.
Organisers recently unveiled their mascots and launched their ticketing programme. Andrada said they had learned from the experiences of the World Cup and the London Games in their bid to make the event as accessible as possible and avoid the usual criticism about the amount of tickets reserved for sponsors and the “Olympic family.”
“The worry we have is making it accessible and affordable. We will make around 7m tickets available, 3.8m of those tickets will be below $30,” he said. “We respect the idea of half price for students and the elderly. Also, when you pay with a Visa card you can pay in up to five instalments interest free. We learned from the World Cup and we learned from London.”
