Brazil: Embattled Rousseff inaugurates Rio 2016 aquatic stadium

Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff has inaugurated the Aquatic Stadium to be used for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Rio is getting ready to host the first Olympic games in South America from August 5 to 21.

Organisers have been grappling with pollution and threats of the zika virus which is spreading across the continent.

Rousseff used the ceremony to talk about moves to impeach her over a series of scandals and probes.

Political Crisis Will Not Harm Rio Olympics: Dilma Rousseff: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff inaugurated an… https://t.co/2hlB4vCtB8

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Brazil is preparing to host the games at a time when the country has been hit by its worst recession in decades. Organisers have imposed some cost cutting measures they hope will help them save some money.

Authorities however say they suspect fraud in the construction of Olympic venues – which have been awarded to the same construction and engineering firms named in the Petrobras probe.

But Olympic authorities have assured that the fraud probe will not affect construction works on the second largest Olympic cluster – Deodero – which will host nine events during the games.

Reuters