Final Push for Rio 2016 -- ATRadio

(ATR) The third and final Rio 2016 Press Operations Briefing wrapped up in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 8.

It was the final chance for domestic and international press to meet with Rio 2016 organizers for one-on-one meetings to prepare for Games operations in less than a year's time.

Some 365 media representatives attended the briefing including Around the Rings editor Ed Hula, ATR reporter Aaron Bauer, and ATR director of business development Ed Hula III.

ATR's Ed Hula said that the group's venue tour on Oct. 5 began with a stop at the Olympic Stadium. So far, he added, it seems as though most of the venues are nearly finished.

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games will open on August 5.

In other news, the global sports world was rocked this week by a decision from the FIFA Ethics Committee to provisionally suspend four football heavyweights.

On Oct. 8, the ethics panel slapped Sepp Blatter with a 90-day suspension along with secretary general Jerome Valcke and UEFA chief Michel Platini.FIFA presidential hopeful Chung Mong-joon was handed a six-year ban from football.

Chris Eaton, executive director of Sport Integrity at the International Center for Sport Security (ICSS), spoke with ATR following the ethics committee’s announcement. He said FIFA is "crying out" for a structural overhaul.

Before joining the ICSS almost three years ago, Eaton spent two years as head of security for FIFA.He said that the ethics panel's decision to ban Blatter as well as Chung, Platini, and Valcke was a long time coming.

Looking forward, Eaton toldATR that FIFA must let the "values of football dominate over business."

Written and produced byNicole Bennett

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