“Never before in the 56-year history of the Paralympic Games have we faced circumstances like this”, Craven said.
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Cuts include a downsizing of the Rio 2016 workforce for the Paralympics, changes to the transport services offered to all clients, the closure of “a number” of venue media centres and a full review of the back-of-house spaces at all venues.
The RPC officially launched its appeal last week to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose ad-hoc Division will deliberate over the case in the Brazilian city.
Wheelchair fencing has now been switched to the Barra Olympic Park while equestrian, seven-a-side football and shooting will work as standalone venues.
The cuts came in addition to ones previously made together by Paralympic and Olympic officials over the past year, Craven said, noting in the statement that they “are likely to impact almost every stakeholder attending the Games”.
A worker from the Casa da Moeda do Brasil (Brazilian Mint) prepares a Rio 2016 Paralympic medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 28, 2016.
The IPC said on Friday that 10 teams would still struggle to afford to come to the Games even when travel grants were paid.
“We want full participation here”. But smaller and poorer countries depend on funding from the IPC to send their teams to the games.
On the flip side, the athletes who can find a way to actually get to this year’s Paralympics will be comforted to know that the security now in place for Olympics will remain unaffected.
Games spokesman Mario Andrada said: “It is a concern”.
Venue capacity is also expected to be cut, with only 12 per cent of tickets sold so far. As to why that figure had been halved, Andrada said Thursday that Rio’s mayor had made a commitment to buy tickets that was later rescinded.
This was a reference to the worst recession in Brazilian history and the ensuing political turmoil which has left president Dilma Rousseff facing impeachment. As of this week, 28 sponsors have signed on to the Paralympics, fewer than half the number secured for the Olympics.
Rio, Brazil, Olympics and financial trouble are not new terms.
A judge has now ruled that the organisers could accept $46.5m in public money to fill a hole in the budget but that will still not entirely bridge the gap. “They’re keen to ensure these games will be the best games ever from a performance point of view, and they’re determined this will still be the case despite the budget shortfall”.
Richard Lane, of disability charity Scope, said: ‘It’s incredibly disappointing to hear that disabled athletes are being short-changed and face competing in empty stadiums’.
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“On Thursday we had a meeting with the interim President Michel Temer who confirmed his attendance at the Opening Ceremony”.
