Rio Report -- Tennis, Golf Delays; World Cup Bus Line Opens

(ATR) The International Tennis Federation has set a date for a new Rio 2016 test event.

It will be held in December 2015, a few months later than the ITF wanted.

ITF executive vice president Juan Margets confirmed the decision was taken but Rio 2016 said there are no construction delays.

"We wanted August, one year before the Rio Olympics, so we will have the same weather conditions," Margets was quoted by Bloomberg.

"That wasn’t possible, and they came back to us with one or two months’ delay. Then we were the ones to suggest December, because we have the U.S. Open in September and also Davis Cup and Fed Cup after that."

In a statement to ATR, Rio 2016 said: "Construction of the tennis centre is progressing as scheduled and there is no delay. Rio 2016 test events will take place in three clusters with Barra Olympic Park-based sports focused in the second cluster, which will begin in November 2015."

The Rio 2016 tennis test event will take place in the main Olympic Park in the Barra zone.

The main Olympic tennis venue will have a 10,000-seat center court and two temporary stadiums accommodating 5,000 and 3,000 spectators. Warm-up courts will hold 250 people.

Margets said organizers have started doing resurfacing work on the site where the tennis venue will be built.

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti, who heads the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), told ATR last month that the Brazilian government must "hurry up" and release cash to accelerate preparations for the 28 sports of the Summer Olympics.

"Timelines for construction is late, and time is getting very tight," the Italian IOC member told ATR during a break in ASOIF’s general assembly at SportAccord in Belek.

"Without the full commitment of the government that is very busy now with FIFA, and busy means some deviation of attention – the FIFA World Cup and general election – they [Rio 2016] are very scared we miss some more time."

Rio Golf Course Could Face More Delays

According to a report by the Associated Press, prosecutors in Brazil could challenge the building of the Rio 2016 golf course due to environmental practices.

Prosecutors want to ensure that developers are following Brazil’s environmental regulations, as protestors have criticized the development for encroaching on a wetland.

When asked for comment, Anthony Scanlon, executive director of the International Golf Federation, told Around the Rings they are "waiting to get clarity from Rio 2016."

"To be honest, I wouldn’t worry about [problems] I don’t see at this stage, so I’ll worry about that if we have to. At this stage, like I said, we are going to need further information from Rio."

Rio Opens Bus Corridor

Rio de Janeiro opened part of a major infrastructure project ahead of the World Cup Sunday.

The Transcarioca bus line is a 24-mile long designated bus lane designed to transport travelers from the international airport into the city. Rio’s subway system does not run all the way to the international airport.

Around $700 million has gone into the project, which is expected to carry 320,000 passengers a day.

To mark the opening of the line, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff rode a bus from the airport into the heart of Rio.

Critics of Brazil’s inability to complete all necessary projects ahead of the World Cup will note that not all bus stations for the Transcarioca line are complete. Protesters gathered outside the stop President Rousseff visited to protest the lack of spending on education.

Rio de Janeiro is expected to receive 90,000 travelers a day during the World Cup, which begins in 10 days.

Written by Mark Bisson andAaron Bauer

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