LONDON, England ● Organisers of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics must finalise their budget as soon as possible, the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday as focus shifted to the South American city on the last day of the London Games.
Rio, which will become the first city on the continent to host the summer Olympics, has yet to announce a budget for the Games in four years time and there has been growing concern organisers were not proceeding as fast as the IOC would like.
“We are asking for the budget to be finalised as soon as possible,” IOC chief Jacques Rogge told reporters before the London closing ceremony. “We are working together in the establishment of the budget.”
The IOC’s chief inspector for progress in Rio, Nawal El Moutawakel, had said in a report before the London Games that “very vigorous coordination” was needed, urging organisers to speed up preparations.
Rio Olympics organisers have so far declined to speculate on the overall Games-related budget, which in London has topped 9 billion pounds ($14.1 billion). The Brazilian city was awarded the Games three years ago but has yet to finalise its plan.
Rio mayor Eduardo Paes said on August 3: “We cannot give an overall cost because some projects are still being defined.”
He added: “We can only disclose the cost of the Olympics when everything is ready. Everything depends on the projects.”
Brazil’s economy has stalled as weak manufacturing activity, financial contagion from the euro zone and souring investor sentiment take the shine off what had been one of the world’s most dynamic emerging markets when Rio was awarded the Olympics in 2009.