The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission, chaired by Morocco's Nawal El Moutawakel (pictured above right), competed its annual three-day visit to the Brazilian city today and expressed gentle concerns that things were falling behind.

El Moutawakel warned that the world's focus will be firmly on Rio after the city's Mayor Eduardo Paes receives the Olympic flag in 67 days in London.


"There is large volume of work that needs to be accomplished between now and 2016," said El Moutawakel (pictured centre). 

"There is no time to waste.

"The clock will be ticking on August 12 when your Mayor gets the flag.

"All of the spotlight will be on Rio.

"Rio has made great strides since our last Coordination Commission visit in June 2011, creating a clear vision of the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders involved in the games as well as clearly defining project deadlines. 

"We know that once the previous edition of the Games comes to an end, the future organisers need to transition into the implementation phase and Rio will be no exception."

The build-up to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 has been overshadowed by rows between local officials and FIFA over construction delays. 

The IOC Commission claimed that they remain confident that there is "sufficient time to deliver what is needed," but that they must remain focused.

"It is becoming apparent that the timelines for delivery are already very tight and the amount of work to be completed is considerable," said El Moutawakel.

The Commission said ensuring the sporting venues are ready is the priority now, as well as making sure that all levels of Government continue to work closely together to finish the 260 plus projects needed for the Games.

"The successful delivery of Rio's project will continue to require a very strong level of integration between all the stakeholders," said El Moutawakel

"It was a pleasure to have all the different levels of Government with us again this week, their continued support is vital to the success of the project."


Carlos Nuzman (pictured above with El Moutawakel), the President of Rio 2016, promised that the project would not be derailed.

"I remain confident in the integration and unity between the three levels of Government, Rio 2016 and other stakeholders, which is crucial for the success of this project," he said.

"This unity dates back to the time of our bid.

"We acknowledge all the advice and the constructive feedback we have received from the IOC."

City officials admitted one of the concerns was with the construction of the Olympic Park and the Deodoro complex, which will include 18 competition venues.

Work on the projects is yet to start, but Paes believes construction will get under way soon and no deadlines would be missed.

"We know we will have to focus more on the sporting venues from now on," he said.

Many of the projects are scheduled to begin in 2013 and all of the sports venues must be ready between mid-2015 and early 2016, according to the IOC.

The IOC noted there is still a "large number" of hotels to be constructed to "fill the gap" presented at the time of the bid, and said that a working group was set up by local organisers to guarantee that cruise ships will be made available after the construction of a new pier and a port upgrade in the city.

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