This is a major boost for Games organisers given how the state of the golf course was becoming a major concern with less than two years to go until the Games begin, with fears over slow progress having also been voiced by the International Golf Federation, after IGF chief executive Antony Scanlon admitted the tight construction timetable was "not ideal".

Prosecutors claimed that the course had infringed on the environmental permits granted by the city, and demanded that a corridor of around 400 metres width be provided for wildlife on the site.

But speaking this week, Judge Eduardo Antonio Klausner said there is "no new fact justifying...a halt in the implementation of the golf course for the Olympics".

Klausner ruled that, by changing one of the holes, the course developers had done enough to preserve the local vegetation.

He also said the type of grass being used on the course did not endanger the vegetation already in place in the area.

Golf makes its return to the Olympics in 2016 after a 112-year absence ©Getty Images



In a 27-page legal brief made public last week, prosecutors described proposals by the city and the course developers to modify the layout to reduce the environmental impact as "laughable". 

The prosecutors asserted that the environment should take priority over the Olympics and real estate development.

In August, Rio 2016 claimed construction on the course was 59 per cent complete, with local sources now estimate that it is now more like 70 per cent.

With the finish line in sight, the course will now start to grow in and be prepared for potential test events before the Games. 

Golf makes its return to the Olympics in 2016 after a 112-year absence.

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