RIO DE JANEIRO - Like other delayed venues for the beleaguered Rio 2016 Olympics, work on the golf course has fallen behind schedule. But grass has been going down for several weeks at the course, which has created an upbeat mood as golf prepares to return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence. That changed Saturday when Rio organizers confirmed that a state prosecutor could halt work on the course unless the developer shows it is following environmental regulations and other requirements under Brazilian law. Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada confirmed the inquiry on Saturday and said developers had been asked to provide documentation that would allow the work to continue. "The state prosecutor is asking for the papers to show the work is proceeding according to the law," Andrada told The Associated Press. "We believe all the rules are being followed." Any delay would be another blow to Rios troubled Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has dispatched a special troubleshooter to accelerate Rios work, and recently IOC vice-president John Coates called Rios preparations were the "worst" in memory. Construction on the privately developed course, located about 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Rios famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, had been delayed by an on-going legal dispute over land ownership, protests by environmentalists centred on the loss of a wetland area, and teething problems for a sport new to Brazil. Plans call for the course to be public after the Olympics, although its being built in a luxury apartment development where units are selling for a minimum of $2.5 million with many priced much, much higher. In a recent interview with AP, American golf architect Gil Hanse said the course should be fully grassed by November, and could be playable midway through 2015. He said it would not be "tournament ready" until a few months before the games begin on Aug. 5, 2016. "I think we are as organized as we have ever been," he said. "Going forward we have to make sure we dont all of a sudden start to rush the finish work. Because ultimately the details of the finished surface are what players are going to see. You need to lavish lots of time and attention on the details of the finished surfaces." Hanse said a test event is likely before the Olympics, although Peter Dawson, head of the International Golf Federation, suggested it might be difficult. The course itself could be dwarfed by whats going up around it in Barra da Tijuca, the site for the Olympic Park and many games venues. Developers plan to build 160 luxury apartments in four 20-story towers overlooking the course. A key player in the project is Italy-born Pasquale Mauro, one of the largest landowners in the Barra area. The opulent marble and glass units — most from 266 square meters (2,850 square feet) to 648 square meters (6,975 square feet) — are selling for between $2.5 and $7 million with completion set for a year after the Olympics end. One building features a 1,308 square-meter (14,100 square feet) penthouse serviced by six elevators, two bedrooms for maids, and one master bedroom for the "governess." The development will have an Italian flavour — called Riserva Golf-Vista Mare Residenziale — and is billed in sales literature as "Rio de Janeiros most exclusive address." Among the amenities are squash and tennis courts, swimming pools in every building, a 50-meter outdoor pool, a golf simulator, ferry service across the lagoon to the sea, a dance studio, gym and a multi-purpose court for basketball or three-man soccer. "Besides the workout academy, there are five massage rooms and a martial arts room to help quell day-to-day tension," the sales literature says. A spokeswoman for the Rio city government, which is supervising the private-sector project, said the course would be public for 10 years after the Olympics. Its not clear how the course will be run after that. Hand-painted signs near the course suggest not everyone is happy. "Golf for Whom?" reads one. The course got other unwanted attention late last year when broad-snooted caimans that survive in a fetid lagoon nearby wandered on the course. The alligator-like creatures took refuge in ponds on the golf course, and are a common sight in the area where population growth has pushed them from a bordering mangrove swamp, which has been polluted with raw sewage from unplanned development in the area. "They seem to be happy to co-exist with us now," Hanse said of the wildlife. "The birds have been back in droves. Ive seen the alligators swimming around, but I actually havent run into them. Its our hope they find this an acceptable habitat." 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DETROIT LIONS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 9:30 AM (ET) Detroit - RB Reggie Bush, TE Eric Ebron, TE Joseph Fauria, WR Calvin Johnson, QB Kellen Moore, TE Brandon Pettigrew, OT LaAdrian Waddle Atlanta - CB Javier Arenas, DT Jonathan Babineaux, OT Cameron Bradfield, WR Freddie Martino, QB Sean Renfree, OT Jonathan Scott, LB Tyler Starr SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Seattle - DT Jordan Hill, CB Byron Maxwell, OT Andrew McDonald, TE Zach Miller, C Max Unger, LB Bobby Wagner, WR Bryan Walters Carolina - CB Bene Benwikere, LB Chase Blackburn, WR Philly Brown, G Amini Silatolu, G Trai Turner, RB Fozzy Whittaker, RB DeAngelo Williams HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS, 1:00 PM (ET) Houston - OT Jeff Adams, DB Josh Aubrey, LB Brian Cushing, DB Darryl Morris, WR DeVier Posey, QB Tom Savage, LB Jeff Tarpinian Tennessee - RB Antonio Andrews, WR Kris Durham, TE Richard Gordon, DL DaQuan Jones, CB Coty Sensabaugh, OT Will Svitek, TE Taylor Thompson BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1:00 PM (ET) Baltimore - CB Chykie Brown, LB Arthur Brown, DL Chris Canty, TE Owen Daniels, G/C Gino Gradkowski, RB Bernard Pierce, OT Jah Reid Cincinnati - RB Rex Burkhead, DE Will Clarke, WR A.WASHINGTON -- If Stephen Harper or Barack Obama plan to do any Olympics-watching next February, theyll be staring at a screen and not from the stands. The Canadian and American leaders both announced Wednesday that they will not be attending the Games, prompting speculation of an international snub over Russias gay-rights record. Harpers office announced the news discreetly, in a late-evening email. The message from the Prime Ministers Office noted that Harper has gone to only one Olympics since he took office, and that lone exception was for obvious reasons. "He normally does not attend (Vancouver was an exception because Canada was the host)," a prime ministerial spokesman said in an email. That news came several hours after the United States delivered a more conspicuous message. For the first time since 2000, the U.S. will not send a president, former president, first lady or vice-president to the Games. Also, the small U.S. delegation for the opening and closing ceremonies will include two openly gay athletes. Those athletes, tennis legend Billie Jean King and hockey player Caitlin Cahow, will be joined by figure skater Brian Boitano, former cabinet secretary Janet Napolitano, a presidential advisor, and the U.S. ambassador to Russia. An Obama spokesman was asked at the daily White House press briefing whether the delegation was intended to make a political point. While he said such a message would not be sent "through this manner," his response also repeatedly referred to "diversity" -- a word Obamas spokesman mentioned seven times in his answers. "This delegation represents the diversity that is the United States," said presidential spokesman Jay Carney. "Every member of that delegation is extremely accomplished, either in government service or in civic activism or, most especially, in sports. So hes very proud of the delegation and the diversity it represents. And he looks forward, as every American does, to the competition and to the effort that American athletes will demonstrate when they compete in Sochi." Obamas spokespeople said his schedule would not allow him to attend. However, Carney also added that the president has been clear that he "finds it offensive, the anti-LGBT legislation in Russia," as well as the harassment caused to those who protest corruption there. Russia has come under fierce criticism for passing national laws banning "gay propaganda." For its part, the Canadian government said its delegation choices will be announced soon. When asked whether they should be interpreted as carrying a human-rights message, Harper spokesman Jason MacDonald replied: "No. Were not in a position to comment on who our reppresentatives will be.dddddddddddd" France and Germany are among the other countries who will not send their presidents to Sochi for the Games. Earlier this month, IOC President Thomas Bach said Russia would set up public protest zones in Sochi for "people who want to express their opinion or want to demonstrate for or against something." Meanwhile, the IOC approved a letter going out to athletes reminding them to refrain from protests or political gestures during the Sochi Games -- reiterating Rule 50 of the Olympic charter, which forbids demonstrations on Olympic grounds. Bach had previously said hed received assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin that gays will not be discriminated against in Sochi. On Thursday, Putin reiterated those assurances, saying it is Russias responsibility as host of the Games to ensure equal conditions for all the athletes. "The main thing for us is the good organization of these competitions, the creation of equal terms for all athletes," he told a Moscow news conference. But the Russian law has raised questions about what could happen to athletes who wear pins or badges or carry flags supporting gay rights. The U.S. Olympic Committee made no comment about the sexual orientation of the delegation Wednesday. In a nod to its disapproval of the law, however, the USOC recently revised its non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation. Earlier this year, Obama rejected the idea of a U.S. boycott of the Olympics despite a number of differences with Russia, including the anti-gay law. Wednesdays announcement, however, represented an unmistakable break with recent precedent: In Vancouver, Vice-President Joe Biden led the delegation, and in 2012, first lady Michelle Obama held the honour. The announcement prompted an enthusiastic response from the Human Rights Campaign, which recently sent a letter urging Obama to include gays and lesbians in the U.S. delegation. "Its a positive sign to see openly gay representatives in the delegation," said spokesman Michael Cole-Schwartz. "Hopefully it sends a message to the Russian people and the rest of the world that the United States values the civil and human rights of LGBT people." King made an explicit point about human rights Wednesday, saying she was "deeply honoured" to be named to the delegation. "I am equally proud to stand with the members of the LGBT community in support of all athletes who will be competing in Sochi and I hope these Olympic Games will indeed be a watershed moment for the universal acceptance of all people," she said. King, who won Wimbledon 20 times in singles and doubles categories, will attend the opening ceremony. China Jerseys? Cheap Jerseys?Cheap Jerseys?Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '