Jan 19, 2016 The key to the Olympic Basketball court at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro was recently handed over to the local organizing committee, seven months before the Rio 2016 Summer Games.
With a capacity of 16,000 people, the arena will stage the Men’s Basketball and Paralympic Basketball events in August and September this year.
Speaking at the handing over, Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio said:
“All the investment that the city is doing from a legacy perspective, from a venue perspective is moving well, so there is no risk for the Olympics. It’s going to be a great game. Now we are thinking much more obviously about the operation and how to deal with lots of people that are coming to Rio,”
While receiving the symbolic silver key, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of Rio 2016 organizing committee praised the arena saying:
“It is a spectacular arena, one of the most beautiful in the world, in the exact style of the NBA, and this gives us great enthusiasm, seeing the facilities being finished and presented, and seeing the athletes taking part,”
Before the Games kick off, the arena will play host to three test events. The first of which will be a Women’s basketball tournament involving teams from Argentina, Venezuela, Australia and Brazil.