RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The International Canoe Federation says it opposes a suggestion by organizers of the 2016 Olympics to move the sport out of Rio de Janeiro to Foz do Iguacu in Brazil’s far south.
The federation said in a statement Friday that it was sending an expert to Rio to look at the cost of keeping the venue in Rio. The original proposal has the venue in the Deodoro area in northern Rio, a run-down area of the city that will host a half-dozen sports.
Rio organizers have acknowledged the venue is behind schedule. The cost has been estimated at between $30 to $70 million.
ICF officials oppose the move, saying it “threatens to marginalize our athletes.”
