Brazil Olympics stadium shuts over roof problems

SHOTLIST : SOUNDBITE 1 Marcos Vidigal (man) Project director for the construction of the Joao Havelange olympic stadium (Portuguese, 33 sec) : "The risk we're talking about is in case of high winds. If it's blowing at a certain intensity, at a certain heights, and in a specific direction, the structure could -- and I am saying 'could' -- collapse. That doesn't mean it will happen. Just like the wind can blow and nothing could happen. But a resident of Rio de Janeiro has seen winds over 63km / hour and the stadium is still here. But from the moment where we have a report that talks about risks, we can no longer use the stadium." SOUNDBITE 2 Armando Queiroga (man) President of RioUrbe, Rio's urban planning firm (Portuguese, 24 sec) : "It's important to note that we're talking about something you can't see. We're talking about the movement of a structure and the impact of a certain strength of wind that could cause an instibility of the roof and the arches. The metallic structure -- I'm only talking about the metallic structure. I'm not talking about the stands, the concrete. I'm talking about the metallic structure of the roof. Ok?" RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, MARCH 27, 2013 SOURCE: AFPTV VAR images including: - cutaway shots of journalists and cameramen - Armando Queiroga leaving - VAR of the north side of the stadium - VAR of the west side of the stadium /// ------------------------------------------ AFP TEXT STORY: Brazil-Oly-2016-BRA-stadium-closure,2ndlead Brazil Olympics stadium shuts over roof problems ATTENTION - UPDATES with quotes /// RIO DE JANEIRO, March 27, 2013 (AFP) - Brazil's preparations for the World Cup and Olympic Games have run into further trouble after the authorities indefinitely closed a Rio de Janeiro stadium because of roof problems, the city's mayor announced. The Joao Havelange stadium, home to the Botafogo football club and due to host the track and field competition during the 2016 Games, will be shut down until the matter is resolved, mayor Eduardo Paes said. "The stadium will remain closed indefinitely," he said. "If it takes a year, then it will be closed for a year." "Today, we cannot say when it may reopen. We are going to look into what solution can be found," said Armando Qeiroga, a top official of RIOURBE, the city's urban planning firm. "We need to know the solution before determining how long the (repair) work will take," he told a press conference, insisting that this was an "isolated incident". After being informed of the problems by the company working on the structure, Paes said he asked if they represented a risk for fans. "The answer was yes," Paes said in remarks quoted by the O Globo newspaper. "We cannot play around with an issue like this." He said it was not necessary to destroy the entire stadium "We want the arena to reopen as soon as possible for carioca (Rio) soccer games," the mayor added. The stadium will not be used for the Confederations Cup in June or the 2014 World Cup. Still, Botafogo and other Rio clubs who currently use the venue have been informed of the situation and asked to look for alternative locations. Word of the closure comes as Rio's iconic Maracana stadium, which hosted the final of the 1950 World Cup, is undergoing a makeover amid concern that reconstruction was falling behind schedule. Earlier this month, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said "there is no plan B" in case the Maracana or any of the other five venues for the Confederations Cup are not ready in time. Known locally as "Engenhao" due to its location in the Engenho de Dentro neighborhood, the Joao Havelange stadium stadium opened in 2007 for the PanAm Games and at the time was considered one of the most modern sporting venues in Latin America. It has the capacity to hold 47,000 people, with authorities planning to increase that number for the Olympics. The 2016 Summer Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro August 5-21, 2016. The development of mass transit projects, the modernization of the city's port area and the construction of the Olympic village are all viewed as a source of concern as the clock ticks down. vel-cdo/ga/cw