Match halted at Maracana due to pitch flood
Xinhua, March 23, 2015 Adjust font size:
A football match at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium, the showpiece venue for next year's Olympic Games, was halted for almost an hour on Sunday due to a waterlogged pitch.
Play was stopped 22 minutes into the first half of the Rio state league fixture between Flamengo and Botafogo.
Images published on social media showed almost the entire pitch submerged in water after a sudden rainstorm.
The Maracana stadium was refurbished for last year's FIFA World Cup at a cost of about 500 million US dollars.
The venue will host football matches at the Rio 2016 Olympics as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Endi