The head of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro insisted yesterday that “more than 90 per cent” of tickets for the Games will be sold even though less than half have been snapped up with five months to go.
Speaking in London, Carlos Nuzman, president of the organising committee, was required to allay fears about the first South American Olympics. The pre-Games scare story is a staple of every Olympiad but Rio has endured more scares than most with the spread of the zika virus and, only last week, a severed arm reportedly photographed in a bay to be used for sailing. Nuzman said that organisers understood the concerns over zika, which have led some female athletes to question their participation, but said that plans were in place to “inspect all Olympic venues daily for puddles or stagnant water to minimise the risk of contact with any mosquitoes.
“Athletes will be briefed how to protect themselves before every competition,” Nuzman said. He insisted that the problem was “under control” and would be eased by the event taking place during the Brazilian winter.
The sale of tickets has become a political issue because the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, had initially promised to buy 1.2 million of the 6.6 million available and distribute them to local children and their guardians. He has been forced to backtrack and will now invest in Paralympic tickets, of which about 85 per cent are yet to be sold.
Nuzman said that he expected the venues to be close to capacity despite the mayor’s change of plan and a policy of not giving any Olympic tickets away, to politicians or schoolchildren.
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“In Brazil, spectators always buy at the last minute,” he said. “We saw that at the World Cup. We are about to reach out to more people.”
He said the arrival of the torch relay in Brazil in May would push the profile among local people while there are plans to set up a number of box offices around Rio, helping those who might otherwise struggle to get on the internet. Around 47 per cent of tickets have been sold.
Rio organisers insist that construction is on course at most of the Games venues, though a test event in the velodrome has been pushed back two weeks due to delays. Team GB has said that it will not take the risk of taking its cyclists that far in case there are further problems. “One test event delayed among 44,” Nuzman said.
Potentially the biggest headache is delays to the building of a metro line from Ipanema out to the main Olympic Park in Barra. Failure to finish that would be a big problem but Nuzman said that it was 90 per cent finished with new trains being tested before an opening in July, just days before the Games.
Budget cuts forced by a financial crisis in Brazil have forced some alterations, with some temporary stands scrapped, and 50,000 volunteers rather than the 70,000 planned.
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But Nuzman says Rio will be ready to stage “a spectacular Games” that looks set to include a team of up to ten refugees chosen by the International Olympic Committee as a 207th participating nation.