Dive Brief:

• With fewer than 500 days to go until the 2016 Olympic Games begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Ministry for Labor has shut down construction on two arenas needed for the event.

• The agency said missing guard rails at a tennis arena caused a safety concern, while a velodrome—the track to be used for cycling competitions—has an overly steep access ramp that created “a grave and imminent danger to the physical safety of workers.”

• RioUrbe, the city’s public works arm, has said the issues will be resolved and should not delay the venues’ delivery dates.

Dive Insight:

Construction of the Olympic and Paralympic Villages for the Summer Games, scheduled to begin on Aug. 5, 2016, has been plagued by delays. Last fall, it was rumored that International Olympic Committee officials were scouting alternative sites because of delays.