体坛英语新闻：Thirty-eight percent of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic venues ready

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Organizing committee of the 2016 Rio Olympics hit back the recent critics relating the delayed preparation by saying that 38 percent of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games competition venues were ready.

According to a statement released by the organizers this week, with more than two years to go until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games begin, 38 per cent of the competition venues are ready for the event.

Of the 29 permanent venues, 11 are operational, while eight require some renovation work and the other 10 will form part of the sporting legacy that is being constructed in the city. Eight temporary venues will also be used to host competitions.

Last month, International Olympic Committee vice president John Coates called Rio's preparations "the worst I have experienced." He later withdrew the critics and said Brazil would deliver great games.

IOC has sent a high level mediator to cope up with the problems and challenges ahead of the Rio Olympics.

Rio organizers, criticized over delays with the games, said that the preparation advanced "with all of the basic and executive projects concluded or in the conclusion phase, and with foundation works in full flow."

"Even though they may not be highly visible, the preparative groundwork and foundation construction, that occurs underground, are extremely important for the final structure and often account for 20 per cent of the total volume of construction," said Alexandre Techima, the Rio 2016 Infrastructure Integration Director.

Work on the Barra Olympic Park, west of central Rio and affected by the strike of workers, advances with the conclusion of the foundations of Olympic Halls 1, 2 and 3, the Olympic Golf Course site is being irrigated in order to allow grass planting to begin.

While work at the second largest venue cluster in Deodoro in north Rio has not begun, but organizers said the construction was scheduled to start in the second half of the year.