IOC Shows "Signs of Relief" After Final Rio Olympic Inspection

(ATR) Rio 2016 tells Around the Rings the final IOC project review shows the Games have completely moved from a planning to operational phase.

IOC coordination commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel and executive director Christophe Dubi delivered the assessment following a review a few days ago. After the meeting El Moutawakel said in a statement Rio was "ready to welcome the world" to the 2016 Olympics.

"The project review was positive as you can see by the IOC communication," Rio 2016 communications chiefMario Andrada toldATR. "For us it was cool to see [El Moutawakel] back and to close our journey... but our journey is far from over.

"We passed the test of the project review but we still have Games to deliver, and we still have final details to put in place so it didn’t change much."

With less than four weeks to go until the Rio 2016 opening ceremony, organizers are scrambling to put the finishing touches for the first South American Olympics. The final elements of fit-out in venues is taking place, Olympic lanes are painted on roads around the city and the look of the Games has extended beyond Games venues in key areas of the city.

Andrada said the final IOC inspection meeting showed "signs of relief" from the IOC after the seven-year long planning phase of the Games. But Games organizers insisted they cannot be complacent as the Olympics and Paralympics still have to be delivered as smoothly as possible.

During the final IOC checkup, El Moutawakel and Dubi received updates on the line 4 metro expansion, the final operational piece yet to be inaugurated for the Games. The metro is expected to open for Olympic use on Aug. 1, just four days before the opening ceremony. Olympic transit cards for the metro have gone on sale and and three of the five new stations have been inaugurated. Organizers remain confident all will fall into place for the Games.

The IOC also received reports on the Zika virus problem and the current status of the waters in Guanabara Bay and the Lagoa de Freitas, venues for sailing and rowing. The IOC said both venues will provide "top-level conditions" for Olympians, even as reports emerged of "super bacteria" being found in the two venues.

While Rio 2016 organizers have fallen short of reaching their environmental goals of treating raw sewage flowing into Guanabara Bay, the IOC said the venue’s water is in line with World Health Organization standards.

"I have been visiting Rio regularly since 2009, and I love the Cariocas, and the Brazilians in general," El Moutawakel added in a statement. "The Cariocas are going to be celebrating, and this means that Rio de Janeiro will be the place to be this August. The Brazilians have also transformed the city through a legacy vision that they have made a reality."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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