Zimpapers Logo

RIO DE JANEIRO. — The cash-strapped Rio Olympics announced on Tuesday cuts to everything from stadium seating to perks for participants, but assured that the Games’ biggest infrastructure project – extension of the Rio metro – is on time.

Stuck in its worst recession since the 1930s, Brazil is rebranding the first Olympics in South America as a model of austerity in contrast to London 2012 and the lavish Beijing Olympics.

“We are cutting some services and making important adjustments in the committee’s budget. In future, many Games will follow this example to create economically sustainable events with no white elephants,” Mario Andrada, chief spokesman for the Rio 2016 organising committee, told journalists in Sao Paulo. — AFP.