Rio Olympic stadium to remain closed till 18 months over 'structural errors' in roof

A recently-built stadium that will be used at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will remain closed for 18 months while the roof is repaired, according to officials.

A committee of engineers said it had found a number of problems, including broken and twisted supports, in the Joao Havelange stadium, which was closed in March after it emerged that the roof could collapse in high winds, BBC reports.

The report further said that the stadium was opened only six years ago at a cost of about 200 million dollars for the Pan American Games, with the Rio authorities seeing it as a legacy project for the city.

However, a team of engineers concluded in a report that the project for the construction of the stadium had presented 'structural errors' from the start.

According to one of the engineers, there is a need to reinforce the roof's structure so the stadium can be used, taking into consideration the proper requirements of safety.

But Brazilian Olympic organisers said that they were confident that the venue would be ready in time for the Games.

Friday's announcement comes soon after a stadium in northern Brazil, which will also be used for the Olympics, suffered a partial collapse of its roof, the report added.