Rio 2016 Organisers Ordered to Pay Maracana Repair Costs

 

By Christian Radnedge

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee has been ordered to pay for the repair costs of the Maracana Stadium, following a court ruling that they had not fulfilled contractual agreements on maintaining the arena.

The stadium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the Olympic football matches.

However, the consortium due to resume control of the stadium, Maracana SA, refused to do so late last year citing the fact that damages incurred by Rio 2016 had not been repaired.

Rio’s top football clubs, including Flamengo, arranged deals to assume control on a short term basis for important fixtures.

Power was switched off in the stadium in January following unpaid electricity bills. However, Maracana SA settled the utilities dispute last month but the poor pitch conditions remained.

A Brazilian court then ruled this week that Rio 2016 was culpable for the damages on the stadium, following a challenge by the city’s government.

Mario Andrada, the communications director for Rio 2016, said that a $160,000 budget had been set aside to make repairs. Andrada also maintained that the stadium had no structural problems.