Rio 2016 Olympic Committee Still Owes Vendors Millions
- Cleaners brandishing brooms protested against organizers
- International Olympic Committee payment expected in December
Visitors take photographs of the newly unveiled Olympic Rings on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 21, 2016.
Photographer: Dado Galdieri/BloombergThree months after the closing ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics, vendors and fans say they’re still owed money by the local organizing committee. Some contractors and suppliers have threatened to sue over unpaid bills. Last month, 400 workers from a cleaning company brandished brooms in protest outside of the Rio 2016 headquarters.
“They haven’t been in touch to discuss this, or even work out a payment plan,” said Danielle Vasconcelos, the manager of Sunplus. She said the company is owed 8 million reais ($2.36 million) for work performed during the games and hasn’t been able to pay some salaries because of the shortfall.