Ricardo Leyser, executive secretary of the Ministry of Sport, said on Monday (23) that the Federal Government will use police and soldiers for security purposes inside the stadiums at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Originally, the idea had been that the government would repeat the model used at the World Cup, in which the police and military worked outside the stadiums, while stewards were responsible for security inside.

According to Leyser, the idea to use police officers and soldiers inside the stadiums was decided last week, with the aim of reducing costs.

Active police and military agents will be used, as well as those in reserve. They will be paid with bonuses and overtime where necessary.

The Federal Government will now study how best to implement this model. Leyser argued that the presence of uniformed and armed men inside the stadiums creates a bad impression for the public.

He said that the plan under consideration is similar to that used during the Pan American Games in 2007, when men from the National Public Security Force used standard civilian uniforms, with few guns on show.

"The idea for Rio 2016 was to have private security, but the government is going to assess whether it can be done with the security forces, the armed forces; in other words, with the public machinery operating", said Leyser, following the first meeting between the Brazilian authorities and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Rio.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

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