Judo will be moved from Olympic Hall 2 to Hall 3, while sitting volleyball will now take place in the the Riocentro Pavillion 6 rather than Hall 3.

After being proposed by Rio 2016 during the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in Athens last November, the IPC have confirmed to insidethegames that the changes have now been finalised. 

The sports of boccia and wheelchair rugby will remain in Hall 2 and Hall 1 respectively, with wheelchair rugby taking place after the wheelchair basketball round-robin competition, which will also be held there, before basketball knock-out matches take place in the Rio Olympic Arena.

But the changes are unrelated to the construction problems currently being experienced by Rio 2016, and have been billed as "minor changes" due to size and other logistical constraints.

During the IPC General Assembly last year Agberto Guimarães, executive director of sport and Paralympic integration at Rio 2016, told insidethegames that for volleyball the "stands were too far away for the sport, and so we need a venue where the stands are closer". 

The move of judo relates to a change in the boccia competition programme which means the two cannot be held in the same venue, he added.

The sitting volleyball competition in Rio has also been moved ©Getty Images



This comes as the IPC take a more supportive stance towards Rio 2016 than their OIympic counterparts, after a torrent of criticism in recent weeks on issues ranging from construction to water pollution.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president John Coates claimed preparations are "the worst he had experienced" in his long association with the Games, before IOC executive director Gilbert Felli admitted construction work at the Deodoro Complex, where three Paralympic and seven Olympic disciplines will be held, is two years behind schedule.

But IPC spokesman Craig Spence told insidethegames it is better to offer support and praise the positive aspects of preparations, rather than "jump on the bandwagon" of criticism.

The appointment of IPC vice-president Andrew Parsons, who is also President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, last week as chairman of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Integration Committee, is viewed as another way to maintain strong ties.