A meeting has taken place in Lausanne between all 28 summer International Federations (IFs), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Rio 2016 in a bid to allay concerns ahead of this year’s Olympic Games.
The Federations were presented with ideas designed to increase the efficiency of the Games, such as the creation of open-space office areas, shared meeting areas and more cost-effective transport solutions.
It was the first time that the IOC has gathered all the International Federations in such a way before the Games, with Matt Smith, executive director of the International Rowing Federation (FISA), describing it to insidethegames as "really useful for us all".
Rowing and canoeing have been hit particularly hard by budget cuts imposed by Rio 2016 after it was announced last month that plans for a 4,000-seater floating grandstand at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas venue had been scrapped.
Abandoning the floating grandstand will save between $4 million and $5 million from the budget, it is hoped.
The decision is a major blow for the two sports due to be showcased at the venue, which is also facing criticism over high levels of water pollution.
"This meeting allowed us, FISA, to talk in person about operational plans for the Lagoa venue, including spectator seating options for the first time since information about the budget review exercise was released," Smith told insidethegames.
"And it allowed us to offer our full support to the Rio 2016 team based on our vast experience in staging eight world class rowing events each year.
"The FISA events team has been together now for 20 years, me personally since the 1984 Games [in Los Angeles], and we have a ton of examples of ways to save money and be more efficient with budgets.
"And it was agreed that Rio will now use this information to study all possible options for spectator seating at this venue based on this new information."
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