Rio State Declares Financial Emergency Ahead of Olympics, Requests Funding

Francisco Dornelles, the interim governor of Rio, has declared a state of emergency over lack of funds, less than two months before it hosts the 2016 Olympic Games, local media said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "A state of public calamity" was declared on Friday by acting Gov. Francisco Dornelles after the southern state was hit by a "serious economic crisis," as cited by the Globo magazine.

Dornelles said the state’s financial difficulties stemmed from slumping oil prices and could prevent it from delivering on its commitments to prepare for August’s Olympic Games.

Rio de Janeiro’s Mayor Eduardo Paes denied this prediction in a series of Twitter postings, saying that the "state of calamity declared by the Government in no way prevents it from the delivery."

The city has recently faced concerns over the Zika virus outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO)’s chief Margaret Chan said last week that a special committee would assess whether it was safe for Rio to host the games.