In the midst of Brazil's
deepening economic crisis, "its cash-strapped capital may not have the
money to fulfill a promise to host Olympic football games next year,
leaving unused the most expensive stadium built for the 2014 World Cup," according to Anthony Boadle of REUTERS. A spokesperson said that the
Rio 2016 organizing committee "has given Brasilia until mid-November to
sign a contract or be stripped of the seven games set to be held there
next year." Tickets
for matches in Brasilia "have already been on sale for months and it
remains unclear how fans, many of whom may have bought flights and
booked hotels, would be reimbursed." Football games for the Olympics
in Rio de Janeiro next year "are set to be played in six cities across
the country to make use of venues built for the World Cup." In
Brasilia, officials "are scrambling to draw up a management plan for the
games but say the debts inherited from the previous leftist governor
have forced them to take tough decisions and commitment to the Olympics
is uncertain." Brasilia Sports Secretary Leila Barros said, "We are doing our homework now to see if we can sign this in time, but it's not certain." Brasilia's 70,000-seat Mané Garrincha National Stadium "cost taxpayers" more than $800M to build. But the city "now struggles" to cover the $2.5M it costs to maintain it per year (REUTERS, 10/27).
