Construction halted at Olympic venue 88 days before games

With less than three months to go until the Olympic Games kick off in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, construction came to a pause on Monday at Olympic Park and Olympic Village due to safety concerns of workers.

Officials have not stated how serious the safety concerns were or what the problems may be, however it raised concerns of Brazil's ability to complete the construction projects before the start of the games.

"We have no intention of hampering the event," Robson Leite, the Ministry of Labour and Employment's regional superintendent, told reporters. "We just want the safety of the population, the workers and all those who will visit Rio."

Sixteen sports events will be held in Olympic Park at nine different venues. Although it was declared last month that the park was open, the final touches have yet to be made to the tennis courts and sponsors' area.

The shutdown comes just weeks after a bicycle lane, built as part of the legacy infrastructure, collapsed into the sea killing two cyclists.

Last week, a government study revealed at least 11 people had been killed while working on Olympic projects, compared to eight in the 12 cities that hosted the 2014 World Cup.