This is what remains of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic swimming pool. - Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP

Brazilian justice on Wednesday ordered the closure of all facilities for the 2016 Olympic Games for lack of security certificates. In his decision, the judge responded favorably to a request from the Rio prosecutor's office to prohibit 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.

Beginnings of looting

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".

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