Rio 2016 Cancel Track Cycling Test, Venue Not Ready

(ATR) Rio 2016 and the IOC jointly cancelled the upcoming track cycling test event.

According to Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada the decision was made after logistical delays stemming from installing the track in the velodrome. Rio 2016 consulted with the IOC on the matter, and the two groups agreed to cancel the event scheduled for April 30-May 1.

After consulting the IOC, Rio 2016 discussed the matter with the International Cycling Union, who supported the decision. Rio 2016 says the venue will be fully completed on May 31. A training session will be open to athletes on June 25-27, where the timing systems in the venue will be tested.UCI officials expressed their frustration with the delays in February toAround the Rings,and remained worried that the work would not be done for an April test event.

"It is much better to be safe than sorry, and putting the track in a hurry could cause risk to the athletes," Andrada told reporters in a conference call on March 24.

"The decision was taken specifically for delays in the installation that we had to perform."

Andrada added that Rio 2016 takes 100 percent responsibility in the delays to install the track. He said that the logistical problems stemmed from delays in unloading the wood from shipping containers in Brazil, and the need for the air conditioning to be fully functional to lower the humidity enough in the venue to safely install the track.

City Hall lobbied for Rio 2016 to not cancel the test event, which had already been delayed over a month. Originally the track cycling test event was to take place in mid-March, but construction delays forced a shift to a late April date for competition. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said that things were going "very well" with construction on March 15, and the venue would be completed on time.

"I am 120 percent confident that we will be ready for the Olympics," Andrada added. "The whole venue will be fully ready for May 31 and competition will not take place until August. There are no worries there."

Rio 2016 Not Tied to Political Crisis

Rio 2016 says there are "no concerns about the Games moving ahead" amid Brazil’s political crisis.

Mario Andrada, Rio 2016 communications head, said to reporters that despite all of the political uncertainty in Brasilia that all three levels of government in Brazil continue to support the Olympic Games and are working to ensure they run smoothly.

"We have a sports event, not a political or economic event," Andrada said. "We are not putting on the Games alone. This is the Games of the Brazilian people, not of the Brazilian government. We are all in the same boat pushing together in the same direction."

The organizing committee remains confident that the contracts to build Olympic venues would not be entangled in the current Lava Jato investigation. Andrada did caution that the investigation is "full of surprises" but the organizing committee is not spending time worrying about the situation.

On March 22, construction company Odebrecht said it will cooperate with Brazilian authorities in the investigation as executives ask for plea bargains in return. Odebrecht was part of the consortium of companies responsible for building Olympic venues and legacy projects for the city of Rio.

Currently, no Olympic projects have been found to have been negotiated with bribes, but Brazilian media reported that authorities are looking into the Rio line 4 metro construction and the downtown Porto Maravilha renovation project.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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