Brasilia (AFP)

The justice of Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday ordered the closure of all the facilities of the 2016 Olympic Games for lack of security certificates.

In his decision, consulted by AFP, the judge responded favorably to a request from the Rio prosecutor's office to ban the holding of major events in the Olympic facilities until the town hall presented the certificates necessary for their proper functioning.

The city hall announced that it would appeal the decision on Thursday.

The judge explains that he made this decision "to preserve the security of the population", because "shows and concerts" are regularly organized there.

"This situation, caused by sites damaged by the lack of surveillance and by the presence of thousands of people, can lead to tragedies," wrote the magistrate.

The infrastructure of the 2016 Games, the first ever held in South America, had been sharply criticized for its staggering cost, around 12.5 billion dollars (11.2 billion euros), and the corruption scandals that surrounded the sites.

According to the prosecution, the federal entity responsible for managing the infrastructure of the Games "disappeared last June, which contributed to the state of abandonment of the premises, with theft of equipment and electric cables".

The measure affects in particular the Olympic Park of Barra da Tijuca, lung of the Olympic Games in a tourist area in the west of Rio where are among others the Rio Arena, the tennis center and the velodrome.

It also concerns the region of Deodoro, a popular district 40 kilometers north of Copacabana which had hosted disciplines such as horse riding, rugby, field hockey and canoeing.

© 2020 AFP