Rio Rescinds Contract for Olympic Equestrian Venue

Deodoro Stadium, the site of the 2016 Olympic Equestrian Events outside of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Ph ©FEI

With less than 200 days to go before the start of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the Associated Press is reporting that the mayor of Rio de Janeiro has rescinded the building contracts of the equestrian, and tennis venues where those Olympic sports are scheduled to be held.

Amid complaints that renovations to both venues were moving too slowly to hit their planned completion dates, the mayor rescinded the contracts while assuring the IOC that the venues would be delivered complete and on time. It has not been made public how much of the equestrian venue, which will host the disciplines of show jumping, cross country and dressage, is still under construction. The venue has a capacity of around 35,000, and was originally scheduled for completion in 2015. The tennis venue, which is located inside the Olympic Park, was said to be 90% complete.

Ibeg Engenharia e Construcoes, the company that was charged with renovating the equestrian center, is now being sued for approximately $2.3 million. In turn, the dismissed contractors both said they will be taking their claims to court.

New contractors will now be hired to complete the projects. It has been said that the change in contractors will not affect the cost of completion to either venue.

Organizers of South American’s first Olympic Games have been beset with challenges as they prepare for Rio. $500 million was cut from the organizing budget, which caused reduced seating and a drastic reduction in volunteers as Brazil copes with its worst recession since the 1930s.

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games will begin on August 5th, and continue through August 20th.