Construction Costs For Rio's Maracanã Stadium Have Almost Doubled To $557M

The renovation costs of Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã stadium "have almost doubled in comparison to the orginally estimated costs," according to the SID. The Rio de Janeiro Government on Monday announced an additional grant of $99.4M for the Maracanã. Including this new grant, the costs for the stadium, which was already renovated in '07, have now increased to around $557.4M. When construction started in '10, the original estimation was $299M. The main reason for the exploding costs "has been the stadium's roof, which was not included in the original renovation blueprints." In addition to increased costs, the unexpected construction "also delayed the Maracanã's completion date." The stadium was officially opened on April 27 with a charity game between "Friends of Ronaldo" and "Friends of Bebeto." However, a second test game, scheduled for May 15, "was canceled on Monday" (SID, 5/7).