The initial payments that ensure full participation from all 165 participating countries were meant to be awarded in July, and the delay could be fatal.
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Rio de Janeiro city government has promised 150 million reais ($46 million) to boost the Games budget, while Craven said the federal government had offered another 100 million reais in sponsorship from state companies.
Brazil’s struggling economy and the fact that only 12 per cent of Games tickets have been sold are contributing factors to the funding troubles which have left organisers behind in paying travel grants to help get athletes to Rio.
Even if the grants are paid, ten countries may struggle to cover their travel costs, forcing them to withdraw.
So to all the athletes who do make it to Rio, good luck!
He said the Games which run from September 7-18 are confronted by “sizable organisational and financial challenges”.
With these grants now three weeks overdue, Gonzalez said 10 countries had already contacted the IPC to say they may not be able to come to Rio.
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 IPC said it has already been imposing cuts over the past year and the fresh ones are set to affect every team and visitors to the Games.
Despite this, additional revenues are still short of the original budget planned for the Paralympics and the IPC has announced a raft of cuts, which include a downsizing of workforce, 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. But smaller and poorer countries depend on funding from the IPC to send their teams to the games.
“They have dedicated their lives to reaching these Games and we will do our utmost to try and maintain the service levels and scope that they expect at a Paralympic Games”.
Baroness Grey-Thompson, who has won 11 Paralympic golds, said Paralympians had hoped the Rio Games would be “another step up” from the “amazing” London Games.
And Brazilian Paralympic Committee boss and IPC vice-president Andrew Parsons made an extraordinary appeal to the Brazilian public, telling them it was their “duty” to come to the Games to support Brazil’s team.
” London 2012 proudly showed the world what was possible and we want Rio to be the next stage of that positive journey”, the BPA added.
“The IPC’s announcement makes clear there is a major risk to that”.
In a statement it said: “Our Paralympics GB athletes have been training hard for at least four years for this moment to compete and deliver their personal best amongst their worldwide competitors”.
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“We are not anxious about getting Team Canada to Rio and back”, Richard said.
