Rio Paralympics 2016: Games to go ahead with major budget cuts

The Paralympic Games will take place as planned next month, but face major budget cuts, the International Paralympic Committee has announced.

The cuts will be made to venues, the workforce and transport.

Delayed travel grants will now be paid to athletes, but 10 countries may struggle to get teams to Rio.

"Never before in the 56-year history of the Paralympic Games have we faced circumstances like this," said IPC president Sir Philip Craven.

With 19 days to the start of the Games, the IPC says Rio's organising committee has not raised enough money to fund the Paralympics.

This is due to Brazil's struggling economy and the fact that only 12% of available tickets have so far been sold for the Games, which start on 7 September.

It meant organisers were three weeks late in paying 8m euros (£7m) of travel grants to help athletes get to Rio.

But Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes has secured an additional £36m of funding and £24m in sponsorship from state-run companies after an injunction was lifted that had blocked further state aid for the Games.

What's being cut?

• Downsizing of Rio 2016's workforce for the Paralympics
• Changes to the transport services for athletes and their teams
• The closure of a number of venue media centres
• Moving events to other venues to enable Deodoro Park to be dismantled, allowing the other venues to have dedicated transport hubs
• Security forces currently in place for the Olympics will remain for the Paralympics.

Craven added: "These cuts are on top of the ones we, together with the International Olympic Committee, have already made in the last 12 months and are likely to impact nearly every stakeholder attending the Games."

Organisers were meant to pay travel grants to all 165 participating countries by the end of July. The grants, paid to national Paralympic bodies, cover the travel costs for athletes and officials.

The first instalments will now be paid but the IPC is concerned that the delay could threaten some countries' participation.

"Currently we have around 10 countries who, even if the grants are paid, may struggle to cover the cost of their travel to the Games," said Craven.

The IPC also said only 290,000 tickets have been sold and it did not expect to see full venues in Rio.

Despite the problems Craven said the Games would "act as a catalyst to positive social change in Brazil and Latin America".

He added: "We are working desperately hard to protect athlete services, especially within the field of play.

"They have dedicated their lives to reaching these Games and we will do our utmost to try and maintain the service levels and scope that they expect at a Paralympic Games."

Richard Lane, from disability charity Scope, added: "It's incredibly disappointing to hear that disabled athletes are being short-changed and face competing in empty stadiums.

"With more than two weeks to go, we hope the organisers can address these issues and ensure the Games are a success."

Candidates make final push in New York ahead of Tuesday primary – as it happened

On the penultimate day before the New York primary contests - a high-stakes primary for the first time in a generation - the five remaining presidential candidates each attempted to prove their New York bona fides, with mixed success.

Here’s a rundown of the biggest political news from the Big Apple (and upstate, too):

• But it wasn’t all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows from Sanders: The Vermont senator is backing legislation that would let Americans sue Saudi Arabia over the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
• Billionaire frontrunner Donald Trump told reporters in New York that he doesn’t think there will be violence at the Republican convention in July, but warned that his supporters would be “angry” if he is not selected as the nominee. “You’re going to have a very, very upset and angry group of people,” he said, adding that the primary voting system is “rigged” and crooked.”
• In a letter written to Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sanders’ presidential campaign has suggestedserious campaign fundraising malpractice committed by the campaign of rival candidate Hillary Clinton. “I am writing to convey some extremely serious concerns that Bernie 2016 has regarding activities currently being conducted through the Hillary Victory Fund, the joint fundraising committee created by the Democratic National Committee... and Hillary for America,” wrote Brad Deutsch, Sanders’ campaign counsel. The letter alleges that the Hillary Victory Fund - a joint fundraising committee for Hillary for America, the Democratic National Committee and 33 state Democratic committees - is funding Clinton instead of state party committees or downballot races.
• An infamous nude of Donald Trump has attracted bids of more than £100,000 after it went on display at the Maddox Gallery in Mayfair, London, last week, but the artist is being anonymously threatened with legal action if she sells it, due to its resemblance to the Republican presidential hopeful.