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Rio scraps Olympic water polo venue

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

A venue scheduled to host water polo at the Rio 2016 Olympics has been dropped from the Games program, a government official said late on Wednesday.

Located next to the Maracana stadium, the Julio Delamare aquatic park had been earmarked for first-phase matches during the Olympics.

But the government said it could not justify spending the 20 million US dollars needed to bring the venue up to Olympic standard.

"It would be very costly," state government chief of staff Leonardo Espindola told reporters.

"A refurbishment [of the venue] to serve the local community, which has always been its purpose, should cost half that amount [10 million dollars]."

The government is set to decide on a replacement venue in the coming weeks.

Under consideration are the Olympic park, which will also host diving and swimming at the Games, and the Deodoro center in the city's north.

Meanwhile the government moved to allay concerns about pollution at Guanabara bay, the venue for Olympic sailing events.

An International Sailing Federation official last month warned the bay could be taken off the Games schedule if action wasn't taken to clean its waters.

Espindola said garbage-collection boats would conclude a cleanup of the bay by July, adding that barriers were being built to filter sewage and trash.

"There is no chance to change the field of play. The sailing will take place in Guanabara bay," he said. Endi