Clearing work has started at the site of the Rio 2016™ Olympic Games golf course after the necessary permit for the removal of the non-native vegetation was issued by the city. The process to clear the way for construction to begin as planned in April is being conducted by Tanedo, the private company responsible for the construction.

Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Rio 2016™), said: “We are delighted that work has begun on the golf venue and we remain on track to deliver the golf course for a test event in 2015 as scheduled. This venue will provide a key element of the Rio 2016™ legacy as the first public course in Rio de Janeiro, and it will play a pivotal role in the development of the sport of golf in Brazil.”

Course designer Gil Hanse, from US-based Hanse Golf Course Design, commented: “We are very excited and pleased to have begun the initial clearing of the site. It is the start of a long process to transform this property into a beautiful golf course, and we are happy to get started.”

Hanse Golf Course Design proposal for the course was selected by Rio 2016™ in March 2012 after a thorough selection process.

The golf course will be built in Barra, the area that will host around more than half of the Olympic sports in 2016. It is a privately funded project that will be located approximately five kilometres from the Athletes’ Village and seven kilometres from the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC).

For further information:

Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

www.rio2016.com