A hearing into "shameful" collusion by construction companies that led to bid rigging and price fixing on 2010 World Cup projects opened on Wednesday, tarnishing the legacy of South Africa's historic tournament that was initially praised as a glowing success. A tribunal is being asked to confirm fines totalling 1.46 billion rand ($147 million) for 15 companies which agreed to "rigged" projects in the general construction industry in South Africa between 2006 and 2011. Work on World Cup stadiums is included in the findings by the Competition Commission, which revealed wrongdoing by the country's biggest building firms. A lawyer representing the commission said there was "a shameful pattern of collusion" by the companies, leading to inflated prices on projects like the $730 million Cape Town Stadium.