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Rio mayor: Olympics not behind Brazil financial disaster

International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach, from Germany, speaks during a press conference after the Olympic Summit IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Olympic leaders met to consider further measures to crack down on doping ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the wake of the ban on Russian track and field athletes. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)
International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach, from Germany, speaks during a press conference after the Olympic Summit IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Olympic leaders met to consider further measures to crack down on doping ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the wake of the ban on Russian track and field athletes. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP) International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach, from Germany, speaks during a press conference after the Olympic Summit IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Olympic leaders met to consider further measures to crack down on doping ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the wake of the ban on Russian track and field athletes. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

By Associated Press 1 min read

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Rio de Janeiro’s mayor has gone on the offensive to protect his reputation and that of his city, insisting the upcoming Olympic Games are not responsible for Brazil’s current economic debacle.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Eduardo Paes also distinguished between the finances of the city, which he said were in great shape, and those of Rio state and Brazil’s national government.

On Friday, Rio’s acting governor declared a state of financial disaster. The worst recession in decades has hit Rio state particularly hard, sparking spending cuts and even delays in paying public servants.

Paes insisted the federal and state governments invested relatively little in infrastructure projects for the Aug. 5-21 games. The city was responsible for the majority of the projects, Paes said.