Brazil Olympics stadium shut

Rio de Janeiro - Brazilian authorities have closed the main stadium for the 2016 Rio Olympics because of roof problems, the city's mayor said.

The Joao Havelange stadium - due to host athletics competitions during the Games - will be "closed indefinitely" until the matter is resolved, Eduardo Paes told reporters Tuesday.

After being informed of the problems, Paes said he asked if they represented a risk for fans.

"The answer was yes," Paes said in remarks quoted by the O Globo newspaper.

"We cannot play around with an issue like this."

The stadium will not be used for the Confederations Cup in June or the 2014 World Cup.

Known locally as "Engenhao" due to its location in the Engenho de Dentro neighborhood, the stadium opened in 2007 and at the time was considered one of the most modern sporting venues in Latin America.

It has the capacity to hold 47 000 people, with authorities planning to increase that number for the Olympics.