'Olympic Games to transform Rio like Munich, Barcelona'

The 2016 Olympics will leave Rio de Janeiro a lasting legacy in the same way the Games impacted Munich and Barcelona, according to IOC president Thomas Bach.

The 60-year-old German met Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia Tuesday in his first trip to the South American nation since being elected to the International Olympic Committee's top job in September, reports Xinhua.

The visit came amid continued delays in key infrastructure projects and concerns about pollution at Rio's water sport venues.

"We are very confident," Bach said. "We've seen great progress in the last couple of months. The organising committee has worked extremely well. But on the other hand, the president (Rousseff) also made it clear that time is key and we don't have any day to lose."

Bach predicted the Rio Games, the first Olympics to be held in South America and only the third in the southern hemisphere after Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, would transform the city.

"I'm sure that after these Olympic Games, the people of Rio and the people of Brazil will say -- like for instance the people of Barcelona or the people of Munich -- there is a Rio de Janeiro before the Olympic Games, and there is an even better city after the Olympic Games."

Local organisers are understood to be close to revealing an operating budget for the Games.

Despite an initial estimate of $2.8 billion, local reports say the figure is likely to be significantly higher.

"I can assure you this will be a very reasonable operational budget," Bach said. "The organising committee is working very hard to respect the budget limitations and to make it really reasonable."