Rio’s polluted waters will be fine — IOC

In spite of this, Bach was optimistic that the Olympic process will create a new Rio de Janeiro. “City hall has prepared to host the Games from an economic and fiscal point of view”.

The South American nation came under sharp criticism for nail-biting delays and massive cost overruns on the stadia for last year’s World Cup, and the worldwide Olympic Committee has in the past expressed concerns about Rio’s progress in preparing for the 2016 games.

His primary boast was that stadium and infrastructure construction was ahead of schedule and below budget.

The debacle cast doubts on Brazilian organization but rather than suffer, Rio appears to have learnt valuable lessons.

“At this moment, when all of Brazil is stopped, the city of Rio is forging ahead”, Paes said.

He claimed reports of water problems had been proven exaggerated because athletes at test events said they saw fish while they were swimming.

An Associated Press investigation published last week revealed high counts of disease-causing viruses directly linked to human sewage in Olympic waters. “We’re installing a health cordon and for the past six months we have not had (Olympic) horses here”, said the head of veterinary services for the Rio Olympics, Juliana Freitas.

Most alarming, however, are the enormously polluted waters of Rio’s Guanabara Bay where the sailing events will be held.

Bach was due to attend the press conference at the Olympic Park on Wednesday morning but the mayor said he was unable to do so because he was exhausted after a long journey and a caipirinha the previous night. We are very proud that with one year to go we are on time.

Money, meanwhile, is not yet an issue but could be as Brazil’s economy stalls.

“There is no “Car Wash” here”, said Paulo. Of these, 42 are underway or at least have a projected budget, while 14 have not been started or priced out yet.

Despite the confident assessment, there are several reasons to question the sunny optimism.

Rio promised to reduce pollution by 80% in the bay as part of the Olympic bid to transform the city, but the municipal government has already admitted this target will not be met.

“We will have great games that will reflect both Brazilian passion, but also Brazilian efficiency”, he said.

The Olympic initiative comes three weeks after Aldi signed an agreement with the National Farmers Union (NFU), which the NFU said “could change the face of retailer and supplier relations in this country”.