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Rio Governor: New Oil Revenues Bill Threatens Our Hosting of Olympics and World Cup |
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Olympics - 08 Nov 2012 - The state of Rio de Janeiro has warned that a new law which strips it of $2 billion a year in oil revenues, or 6 per cent of the state’s annual budget, could threaten its hosting of the 2016 Olympic Games and matches in soccer’s 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Sergio Cabral, the state governor, told reporters: “This bill will cause the financial collapse of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It’s totally unfeasible. The state would have to close its doors. There would be no Olympics, no World Cup, no payments for retirees and pensioners.”
The state has projected spending of $13.5 billion on stadia and infrastructure projects for the events, and Cabral insisted that the new law threatens the games and could provoke the financial collapse of the state, whose budget is $30 billion this year.
The bill was passed by Brazil’s Congress yesterday and Dilma Rousseff, the country’s president, came under immediate pressure to veto it in the interests of the Olympics and World Cup. She has 15 days to decide whether to do so. If she does not, the state is thought certain to go to the Supreme Court to contest the legality of altering existing contracts, a process that could take years to resolve.
Meanwhile, Rio 2016, the organising committee for the Olympic Games, has launched a request for proposals to select mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The request for proposals is available online at: http://www.rio2016.com/comite-organizador/bens-e-servicos
Beth Lula, Rio 2016’s brand director, said: “The idea in opening a selection process is to value the Brazilian animation, film and design market and encourage creativity to develop the best ideas. The theme is open. The creative proposal that best responds to the target public, children and young people, will be selected.”
Sportcal
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