Audio By Carbonatix
A stadium in Brazil that was due to host athletics at the 2016 Olympics has been closed indefinitely because of structural problems with its roof.
The Joao Havelange stadium in Rio de Janeiro was built only six years ago.
It was also being used as the main football venue in Rio, while the city's Maracana stadium is being renovated for next year's World Cup.
It is an embarrassment for Brazil as it prepares for its two huge sporting events, say correspondents.
The authorities have also acknowledged delays in work on the Maracana and a funding problem at another stadium, which is set to host the opening match at the World Cup.
'Not acceptable'
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes told a news conference on Tuesday that he had been told about the structural problems at the stadium - locally referred to as the Engenhao - earlier the same day.
"I asked if this represented a risk for spectators and they told me it did, depending on the wind speed and temperature.
"On that basis, I immediately decided to close the stadium until we had more details."
He said the situation was "simply not acceptable" for a stadium which opened such a short time ago, and warned that those responsible would be held to account.
The stadium opened late and over budget in 2007.
It has since been leased to local football club Botafogo.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
New York Times executive fatally shot allegedly by elderly in-laws
2 hours -
Teacher Payment Crisis: GES races to protect academic calendar
2 hours -
US prosecutors reopen case of alleged gang rape at Cornell University
2 hours -
Journalist to be crowned king in Uganda after bitter succession dispute
3 hours -
OpenAI scraps rollout of new model over safety concerns
3 hours -
Nigerian attempts to break world record by dancing non-stop for seven days
3 hours -
GES urges government agencies to end blame game over teacher payments
5 hours -
GES sets Oct. 5 deadline to resolve teachers’ payment dispute
5 hours -
GES working around the clock to get teachers back to class, says Daniel Fenyi
5 hours -
French PM warns against escalation of school protests after 164 arrested
6 hours -
UK tries to stop Trump’s diesel export ban
6 hours -
Late Olise goal gives France win over Belgium
6 hours -
Mancini enjoys first win since return as Italy boss
6 hours -
Interest payments to average a high 20% of government revenue over next 4 years
6 hours -
Anthropic warns AI may pose ‘existential risks to humanity’ in IPO filing
6 hours