Rio 2016 Guarantees Funding for Olympics and Paralympics

(ATR) Rio 2016 says the 2016 Olympics have enough money to function, and the 2016 Paralympics will be funded to ensure the highest standard.

Yesterday, International Paralympic Committee chief executive Xavier Gonzalez said that support grants needed for the Games have not been paid. He added that other financial solutions are being discussed, and if not resolved by early next week could threaten the staging of the Games.

"With the Games fast approaching, time is of the essence, and the Organizing Committee must find a resolution early next week," Gonzalez said in a statement provided to Around the Rings. "Our number one priority is that the first installment of support grants which the Organizing Committee should have paid to all participating National Paralympic Committees at the end of July, are paid in the coming week.

"These grants are vital to many countries paying for their travel to the Games in Brazil. If unpaid, they seriously threaten a country’s participation at Rio 2016."

Rio 2016 communications head Mario Andrada said that the organizing committee is constantly reviewing the Paralympic Games budget. He could not comment further on the financial state of the Games, as a Brazilian federal court issued an injunction late on Friday against Rio 2016 preventing them from seeing government funding.

"We remain convinced that we have negotiations with the government to support us when needed and sponsors that will allow us to finish the Olympic games without any debt and be able to organize Paralympics games at the same level," Andrada said. "We’ve been in permanent touch with the IPC, with some of their NPCs. What we can guarantee to you at this point -- we know what we need to do and we will do what needs to be done."

Andrada added that the Paralympic Games could see budget cuts similar to what the Olympic Games saw earlier this year.

Dubi: Rio 2016 Adaptability Has Delivered

IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi says Rio has "delivered what they promised," for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Olympics have faced a litany of problems during the first week including a discolored diving pool, transportation headaches, athletes and officials being robbed, and seemingly empty venues. Dubi, undeterred, said in response to anATRquestion that after the first weekend many of the Games’ operations needed time to stabilize. He added that the focus of Rio 2016 should not be on what is going wrong, but on how the organizers have shifted to make it right.

"When the pressure ramps up systems have to stabilize and they have," Dubi said. "These are the adjustments that must take place in every Games. You have to make sure the organization is agile, and that’s what they have done here."

Dubi admitted that there were some areas that have not been delivered to the highest standards, including the look of the Games. The IOC executive said that a problem with the initial distributor led to a last minute scramble to find a local company to deliver signage at the last minute. The dearth of look of the Games signage was most evident this morning during the marathon, where large stretches of the course showed little to no Rio 2016 branding.

Organizers are working to deliver the look of the Games to as many venues as possible, including instructional signage. Dubi said that in outdoor venues where signage won’t be delivered the "phenomenal backdrop," will provide lasting memories.

"There were many other things that were supposed to be installed and it could not," Dubi said. "The reaction that [the organizing committee] had here was really stunning. We said many times a system is not judged in the capability of plan, but in the capability to react, and what they have done here with local providers is really impressive."

Ticket Update

Rio 2016 says they have sold 5.7 million tickets so far. Around 800,000 general admission tickets remain on sale. A total of 3,931,000 people have attended the Games, with 1,253,000 visiting the Olympic Park in Barra, and 552,000 going to Deodoro.

Christophe Dubi said that sales have continued at around 100,000 per day during the Games.

Swim Planned

Christophe Dubi tells ATR he still is planning to take a swim in Guanabara Bay.

In August 2015, Rio 2016 Coordination Commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel proposed that the members of the commission take a swim in the bay to show they trust the safety of the athletes in the venue.

A year later, Dubi says he will work to find the time to take the swim.

"We will certainly do so with Nawal at some point in time, let us find the time to do it," Dubi told ATR. "I have been here a few months and I have gone around and had on some occasions to have the possibility to swim in Copacabana. This is definitely something we will do."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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