Rio Olympic sailing venue damaged by wild weather

Strong winds and high seas lashed structures at Rio 2016 Olympic Games venues as fresh doubts were raised about the quality of local construction work.

The most serious incident occurred on Saturday at the Marina da Gloria, the starting point for sailing events, where waves partially destroyed the main ramp for sailors to access the water, reports Xinhua.

Organisers said the company responsible for building the ramp was inspecting the damage, but gave no estimate on when it would be repaired.

Wild weather also hit Copacabana beach, where the tide reached TV studios built on the sand.

Workers immediately erected a wrought-iron levee to stop waves from battering the structure. Sand barriers were also built to protect the beach volleyball arena.

Rio's construction standards were questioned in April when a new elevated bike track collapsed into the sea, killing two people.

--IANS

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