Rio de Janeiro is seeking a new venue for the opening water polo matches at the 2016 Olympics after organisers on Thursday confirmed reforms at the proposed venue will not be completed in time.
The water polo was scheduled to be held in the Julio Delamare aquatic park but work on the venue has yet to begin with the opening ceremony less than 15 months away.
The delay is because of disagreements between the state government, which owns the property, and the private company that manages it.
Although the change could inconvenience those who have applied for tickets for the event, organisers said there was no danger of not finding a new venue.
"That doesn't worry us," Leandro Espindola, a senior official with the state of Rio de Janeiro, told reporters after meeting with members of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday.
Officials said they can move the matches from the Julio Delamare park, alongside the Maracana in northern Rio, to the main swimming venue being built at the Olympic Park, to the city's southwest.
Another possible venue is the Maria Lenk centre, also in the Olympic Park, which was built for the Pan American Games in 2007 and is the planned site for the diving event.
Possible venue changes have added to the growing concerns about Rio's readiness to host the Olympics, which start in August 2016.
A recent Reuters report showed the city's preparations were well behind those for London at a comparable stage before the 2012 Games.
Image: The unnamed mascots of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Photograph: Alex Ferro/COB/Handout via Reuters
