The Rio de Janeiro Olympic venue facing the most serious construction delay has hit another snag, with city hall saying it is changing contractors for the track cycling velodrome.
In a statement, on Monday the city said it rescinded the contract of the principal builder and had authorized a subcontractor to take over.
Last week, the president of world cycling’s governing body said he was “very, very concerned” about the venue’s construction.
Rio organizers on Monday said there would be no time for a test event, but added that the track surface had been installed.
Organizers said they are still planning a June 25 to June 27 “training session” — six weeks before the Olympics open on Aug. 5.
However, Rio Olympics spokesman Mario Andrada suggested that might be difficult.
“We’re going to open the track, but the UCI [International Cycling Union] has told us it’s very unlikely that any international cyclists will come. It’s too close to the Games,” Andrada told reporters on Monday in a telephone interview from Lausanne, Switzerland.
UCI president Brain Cookson recently told reporters that Rio organizers need “to live up to the commitment that they’ve made.”
“We are very concerned that the major flagship of our sport will be properly presented,” Cookson said.
City hall said the venue was 88 percent complete, but the number is largely meaningless: earlier statements have termed venues 98 percent finished, with crews still working inside and outside.
Rio has been plagued with problems such as the Zika virus, deep budget cuts and slow ticket sales, but readying venues on time has not been a concern.
The US$43 million cycling venue has missed several deadlines. The original plan was to use the velodrome built for the Pan American Games in 2007, but it was not approved by the UCI for Olympic events.
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