The preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are so far behind schedule that London was reportedly considered to re-host the games in the same venues used in 2012, according to the London Evening Standard.
"At a comparable planning stage in 2004 Athens had done 40% of preparations on infrastructure, stadiums and so on. London had done 60%. Brazil has done 10% — and they have just two years left. So the IOC is thinking, ‘What’s our plan B?’," an unnamed source told The Standard. "Obviously, the answer would be to come back to London. It’s very unlikely but it would be the logical thing to do."
While the move is unorthodox and rather unlikely — it would be a huge snub to Rio among other problems — the fact it's even being discussed shows just how disastrous the preparation has been for the 2016 Olympic host city.
In late April, IOC Vice President John Coates blasted Rio's problems as "the worst I have experienced,"according to AFP.
"There is little co-ordination between the federal, the state government and the city — which is responsible for a lot of the construction," Coates told AFP. "And this is against a city that's got social issues that also have to be addressed; a country that's also trying to deal with the FIFA World Cup coming up in a few months."
Among the many problems Rio has encountered getting ready for the Olympics is corrupt government, massive costs, and protests from citizens feeling neglected by the lavish development plans.
Meanwhile, the IOC shot down the reported "plan B" from the unnamed source, as a spokesman told AP switching to London would be "totally unfeasible."