FINA Set for Rio 2016 Talks to Resolve Concerns

(ATR) Discussions between the International Aquatics Federation and Rio 2016 about the state of venues for the Games will take place next week.

Representatives from FINA will be in Rio de Janeiro from Nov. 15-17 as part of a regularly scheduled federation visit. The two sides will discuss the status of the water polo preliminary matches and the request FINA has for a roof over the Maria Lenk Aquatics Stadium.

FINA is concerned that lack of funds to finish renovations on the Julio de Lamare aquatics center, where preliminary water polo matches were supposed to take place, and providing a roof over the Maria Lenk center are "not ensuring the best possible Aquatic events," at the 2016 Olympics.

At the ANOC general assembly in Washington D.C., FINA president Julio Maglione told Around the Rings the federation is "not happy" with the current set-up of aquatics venues, but will continue to "collaborate 100 percent with the IOC and the organizing committee".

Despite ongoing talks, the two sides have failed to come to any agreement. FINA had been keen working with Rio city hall to resolve the matter, before sending a letter to Brazilian authorities lambasting the lack of progress and perceived disrespect for its proposals.

"Discussions from FINA are far from over," Mario Andrada, Rio 2016 communications director, toldATR about the lack of resolution."We are confident that they will have a magnificent collection of venues for the Games."

The responsibility to deliver the venues within the budget provided falls to the Rio city government, not the organizing committee. Mayor Eduardo Paes told ATR in September, after the letter was sent, that both sides knew Maria Lenk was an outdoor venue.

City hall decided only to build a cover on the Olympic Park aquatics center because it was a temporary facility and costs to build one for Maria Lenk were too high. It was not in the original venue proposal laid out in the bid for the 2016 Games.

"We did diving in Sydney, Athens, London and Beijing in a covered swimming pool; this one is open, it will be a problem for the athletes," Maglione toldATR.

"Rain will make it very difficult; diving is more complicated every year because the athletes make their moves more difficult. The wind is another problem. We are going to do diving in the conditions but we don’t like it."

The last time Olympic diving was uncovered was during the 1992 Barcelona Games.

A Rio 2016 spokesman told ATR that the organizing committee was considering three venues to relocate the water polo preliminary matches - Maria Lenk Aquatics Stadium, the temporary aquatics center in the Olympic Park, or the facilities in the Deodoro Park built for modern pentathlon.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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