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Rio Olympic athletics venue set to reopen

Xinhua, January 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Rio de Janeiro's Olympic athletics stadium will reopen next month, almost two years after being closed over safety concerns, local officials said on Friday.

The Joao Havelange Stadium, known locally as the Engenhao, was shut in March 2013 after an independent engineer's report showed the venue's roof could collapse due to structural problems.

Botafogo, which has a long-term tenancy agreement at the venue, will officially reopen the stadium in a match against Boavista on February 1.

The 45,000-seat venue will initially have its capacity limited to 20,000 spectators but is expected to be fully opened by March.

Meanwhile Botafogo officials have requested local government permission to rename the stadium after their former player Nilton Santos.

The 1958 World Cup winner died in 2013 aged 88.

The Engenhao, which will host track and field events during the 2016 Olympics, will have its capacity increased to 60,000 ahead of the Games. Endi