IOC Chief Prepares for Rio 2016 Crisis Talks with Rousseff

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 21: IOC President Thomas Bach speaks during the meeting with NOC members at the Shilla hotel during his two-day visit on November 21, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. This is Bach's first visit to South Korea, where he will be meeting with the organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

(ATR) IOC president Thomas Bach will travel to Brazil Jan. 21 for emergency talks with Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff about the Rio 2016 Olympics.

IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau confirmed the date to Around the Rings Thursday.

Details on the trip have yet to be finalized but should emerge in the coming days. Rio 2016 said Bach would meet with Rousseff in the capital Brasilia, according to an Associated Press report.

He would also be expected to travel to Rio for meetings with 2016 Games leaders including president Carlos Nuzman and CEO Sidney Levy.

It is not yet clear if Rio 2016 coordination commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel will accompany him on the trip.

Bach announced last month that he would be making an emergency trip to Brazil. He had not planned to meet with Rousseff until after the Sochi Olympics but mounting concerns about delays in Rio 2016 preparations forced him to bring forward those plans.

Coincidentally, Bach arrives in Brazil the day after FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, with both set to stress the urgency of accelerating the Olympic and World Cup projects.

Valcke, who is touring four Brazil 2014 host cities, is seeking reassurances about the timetable for completion of six World Cup venues, including Sao Paulo where the opening match is scheduled to be played on June 12.

Bach will hope his talks with Rousseff will provide the trigger to speed up preparations for South America’s first Olympics.

The IOC’s biggest concerns center on the slow pace of developments at the second Olympic Park in the Deodoro Zone where eight sports will be staged.

Bach will also seek confirmation of the Rio 2016 operating budget and a progress report across the other key areas of the Games including the sports, sponsorship and transport.

In an election year, Rousseff is facing public pressure on government spending on the World Cup and the Olympics.

At the press conference that followed last month’s IOC Executive Board, Bach explained that the purpose of his visit to Brazil was "to show the full commitment of the IOC and new president to the Rio 2016 Games".

He added: "We have to realise and also the organizing committee that there is not a single moment to lose. Every effort has to be made every day to bring the construction of Olympic sites and infrastructure forward.

"What will be essential and crucial for the success of Rio 2016 will be a seamless cooperation and coordination among the different levels of government and with the organizing committee."

Reported byMark Bisson

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