Strong winds have destroyed an Olympic sailing venue less than a week before the Rio Games are set to begin.
Three-meter waves at the Marina Da Gloria decimated the main the ramp for the Olympic sailing venue, reports The Associated Press. Fortunately, in the wake of the destruction, nobody was injured.
Local da vela dos Jogos, rampa na Marina da Glória é danificada por ventos fortes. https://t.co/JwPncSY4zT pic.twitter.com/q9TdBN8rNR
— Jornal O Globo (@JornalOGlobo) July 30, 2016
It’s concerning to see an Olympic venue so easily impacted by weather, even if strong winds were the culprit. I’m not an architect or an engineer, but wind shouldn’t destroy what are supposed to be world-class venues. Isn’t it something the ramp is prepared to absorb?
The AP reports Philip Wilkinson, a spokesperson for the 2016 Rio Olympics, said the construction company who build the venue will make repairs over the next four days. Training isn’t expected to be impacted.
If the ramp is repairable and will be ready by the start of the events at Rio 2016, it’s not a huge deal. What is concerning is how the structure broke down to begin with. I’m not suggesting it was shoddily made, but it does add some doubt about how quickly the venues were put up.
Hopefully, nothing was rushed and the venue collapsing is just a result of some wicked weather.
[Deadspin]
