(ATR) Israeli IOC member Alex Gilady tells Around the Rings the Brazilian government should have dealt with the pollution at the sailing venue many months ago.
Concerns surrounding the pollution at Guanabara Bay have become a major headache for the IOC with the Olympics little more than one year away. The city of Rio is struggling to clean-up the waters that are polluted with thousands of dead fish and raw sewage.
Speaking to ATR in Lausanne, Gilady said it was the "biggest challenge" facing 2016 Games organizers.
"This is an issue the government of Brazil should have solved a long time ago," he said.
A member of the IOC coordination commission for Olympics in Athens, Beijing, London and now Tokyo 2020, Gilady has witnessed firsthand the trials and tribulations of Olympic preparations.
Commenting on Rio 2016’s troubled buildup to next year’s Games, he emphasized that organizers had made significant strides since the IOC crisis meeting in Belek, Turkey in April 2014 when an avalanche of concerns were voiced by international federations.
"I know that all these things will be solved," he said.
"The options are narrowing and you must find solutions quickly, sometimes by only throwing money at them."
The International Broadcast Center, scheduled to open at the end of October following a series of delays, and the slow pace of construction on the velodrome are the other major venue challenges for Rio 2016.
"With the IBC, you should always have confidence in the OBS [Olympic Broadcasting Services]," Gilady said.The next IOC project review is in July with the full coordination commission to follow in August.
Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games executive director, tells ATR that while the project visits are important the IOC’s Rio 2016 troubleshooter and "very frequent visits from staff and stakeholders" ensure the IOC keeps a close eye on all aspects of preparations.
"So every time we have someone on the ground, it comes back up to Lausanne," he said.
"On a day-to-day basis, we are taking the pulse."
Commenting on the IBC’s timeline for completion, he said it was on track for an end of October finish.
"Nothing at this point in time regarding the IBC which tells us differently. I can tell you Yiannis is very much on the ball," Dubi said, referring to OBS chief executive Yiannis Exarchos.
On the velodrome, which is slated for opening in March 2016, Dubi said there was a "recovery plan" in place to accelerate construction and fit-out.
He said the project was "on track to recuperate the time lost by the end of June. Our experts are telling us… so far it is the plan."
"The UCI very much on the case," he said, describing the installation of the wooden track in September as a "critical milestone."
Reported by Mark Bisson.
Homepage photo: Getty Images
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