Rio judge ends Olympic golf course impasse

A Rio de Janeiro judge has rejected a request by public prosecutors to suspend an environmental permit for work on the 2016 Olympic golf course.

Judge Eduardo Antonio Klausner said there were no "new facts to justify the paralysis of work" on the project, reports Xinhua.

The course, which is already 60 percent complete, will cost an estimated $25 million to develop. It is expected to be ready by August 2015.

Public prosecutors called for changes to the course design, claiming it would cause environmental degradation to a nature reserve.

Rio's municipal government says the course will be available for use by the general public after the Games.