Rio 2016: Officials forced to cut their way into Olympic stadium after losing keys to gate
Two men forced the gate open with bolt cutters on Wednesday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A gate of the Maracana Stadium, the host venue of the Rio Olympics, had to be forced open after organisers reportedly lost the key.
Julia Carneiro, a BBC reporter in Rio de Janeiro, captured the incident on video outside the stadium, prior to Wednesday’s women’s football match between Sweden and South Africa.
Two men described as ‘firemen’ are seen using a pair of bolt cutters to break the padlock and open the gate.
“What a start! #Rio2016 kicking off with lost key and firemen forcing open lock to east gate of Olympic stadium #oops,” Carneiro wrote.
In a tweet sent one hour earlier, Carneiro claimed that spectators were forced to queue for up to two hours before being ushered to another entrance.
The incident, coming just two days before the opening ceremony, will embarrass Olympic organisers at a time of great scrutiny.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that some 1,400 aquatic athletes were at risk of becoming violently ill due to high levels of pollution in Rio’s waters.
Swimmers and other athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water will almost certainly contract viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses.
1.3m tickets for the Games also remain unsold, with demand lower than in previous summer Games, though around 500,000 of those tickets are for football matches based outside of Rio.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments