The head of Olympic planning for Rio de Janeiro's municipal government has resigned, Reuters reported.
Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, president of the Municipal Olympic Company, will be leaving her post but will remain as an advisor, a city hall statement said Tuesday, according to Reuters.
She will be replaced by Joaquim Monteiro, who works for the city government as a marketing specialist, Reuters reported.
The resignation comes almost two weeks after IOC inspectors urged Rio organizers and government representatives to finalize budget decisions about who pays for what for the 2016 Olympics, according to Reuters.
The Rio Games have been plagued by delays, partially centered on budget and planning problems among Brazil's three levels of government, Reuters reported.
Brazil is spending about $15 billion on the games, a mix of private and public money, and faces pressure to make cuts in spending, according to Reuters.
In a similar move six months ago, an army general took over the Olympic Public Authority, which coordinates planning between various layers of Brazilian government, Reuters reported.
Speaking to Rio officials at the end of an inspection tour two weeks ago, a top IOC official warned of the need to finalize planning, according to Reuters.
"At one point ... they have to decide who is doing what," said Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, Reuters reported. "At some point they have to take decisions, otherwise the project cannot go forward."
A meeting announced for last week to deal with Olympic spending, which was to have included officials from the office of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, did not take place as scheduled, according to Reuters.
At least two major projects are behind schedule: the second largest cluster of venues called Deodoro, and the Olympic golf course, Reuters reported. Work has yet to begin at Deodoro.
Nawal El Moutawakel, head of the inspection team, said "until ground is broken, Deodoro remains a project under intense pressure," according to Reuters.
Last week the president of the International Golf Federation, Peter Dawson, said he was disappointed with slow progress on the golf course, Reuters reported. Golf returns to the 2016 Olympics for the first time since 1904 in St. Louis.
"Rio has got quite a few challenges ahead of them to get things done in time," Dawson said, according to Reuters. "We are new to the Olympic Games. Maybe this is normal. However, I think it's particularly disappointing given how long ago we got in among this and got things started."
