Olympics-Paralympics chief says has assurance from Rio mayor for cash

By Karolos Grohmann
Reuters

* Paralympics chief meets Rio mayor over cash crunch

* IPC's Craven says Games will go ahead, no cuts to sports

* Mayor Paes says no risk Games won't happen

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The Paralympics will not be canceled, nor will the number of sports be reduced, the International Paralympic Committee chief said on Monday, saying he had received assurances from the Rio de Janeiro mayor over covering the extra costs for the event.

Organizers of the Rio Olympics have long run out of cash, with a judge in Brazil blocking further payment from the state and leaving the Paralympics without much-needed funding.

"This morning at a meeting at City Hall in Rio, IPC President Sir Philip Craven ... (was) given a personal guarantee from Mayor Eduardo Paes that he is willing to cover the costs associated with the Paralympic Games," the IPC said.

Judge Marcia Maria Nunes ruled late on Friday the federal government and the city of Rio de Janeiro could not provide some 270 million reais ($85 million) promised to help pay for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games and next month's Paralympics unless its accounts are made public.

"Although the situation is pretty precarious, rumors that the Games may not go ahead or that sports may be cut are totally unfounded and not true," Craven said.

"Our aim right now is to bring in additional funding and resources in order to deliver the Games at the service levels expected by all stakeholders, most importantly the athletes."

He said that should there by no extra funding available, the organization would need to make cuts in services, just like for the Olympics, where organizers have made savings in the midst of Brazil's worst economic crisis in 80 years.

Paes said after the meeting there was no risk of the Games not taking place.

"I had a meeting with them to ensure the realization of the Paralympic Games and to tell them there is no risk that the Games won't happen" Paes told reporters.

Olympics organizers have attempted in the past days to assure the IPC the Games, from Sept. 7-18, will go ahead as promised and have said they were negotiating with sponsors to raise more money.

Craven urged Games organizers to make the accounts public to solve the funding impasse.

"Clearly, the simplest and easiest way round this is for the Rio 2016 Organising Committee to be open and transparent with its financial records in order to allow this additional funding to come in," he said.

Organizers have declined to comment as it is an ongoing legal case.

Craven also sounded cautiously optimistic the national Paralympic committees would also receive the promised grants to travel to Rio despite a two-week delay in payments.

"Finally it looks like we are a step closer to the payment of support grants to National Paralympic Committees which are now more than two weeks overdue," he said.

"The Organising Committee has now committed to paying these grants by the end of the month. Failure to do so could result in a number of countries being unable to attend the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games." (Additional reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Editing by Alison Williams)

08/15/2016 18:58