POLLUTION

Sailing's international governing body Word Sailing has said that it is satisfied with efforts to clean Rio's much-maligned Guanabara bay.

The city government last year admitted it will not be able to fulfil a 2009 pledge to reduce pollution in the bay by 80% before the Olympics.

But large nets that block the flow of waste into competition areas and eco-boats that scoop up trash from the water's surface will ensure the bay is fit for sailing, according to officials.

After his May visit to Rio, World Sailing CEO Andy Hunt said the bay's water quality was "noticeably better" within the Olympic sailing routes.

A cleanup operation at the the Rodrigo de Freitas lake has also eased pollution concerns for rowing and canoeing events, according to organizers.

LEGACY

Rio 2016 chief Carlos Arthur Nuzman has said that the Olympics will have the same transformative effect on Rio that the 1992 Games had on Barcelona.

Among the infrastructure projects that have coincided with the Games are a port revamp, tram and subway lines, roads and express bus services.

Meanwhile some Rio 2016 event venues will be turned into public schools, public sports facilities and leisure centers, according to officials.

But the immediate post-Games challenge for the city and state governments will be to recover Rio's financial health amid sinking tax revenue from the struggling oil industry.

Many providers of essential services like hospitals and police are on the cusp of collapse as public funds dry up and civil servants wait to be paid.