The Arena Carioca 3 was unveiled on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro as part of the ongoing inauguration of Olympic and Paralympic venues for this year’s 2016 Olympics to be held in the city starting in August, according to Lise Alves of the RIO TIMES. It "is the second of the three arenas to be concluded in the Olympic Park and will host the taekwondo and fencing competitions in August and the Paralympic judo in September." The arena, however, "was inaugurated without air conditioning" and even Mayor Rio Eduardo Paes "complained about the heat." He joked with journalists before the opening of the press conference, saying, "It’s hot as h***."
According to Ministry of Sports Secretary Marcos Jorge de Lima, however, the equipment "is ready and energy cables installation should be completed by April, when the arena will host test-events for the Olympics." With more than 20,000 square meters the arena "will be able to receive 10,000 spectators during the Games."
The Olympic Committee said that "after the games the arena will be transformed into an Olympic Experimental School (GEO in Portuguese) with space for 1,000 full-time students" (RIO TIMES, 3/7).
