Blow for Brazil as Laureus cancels Rio awards

Read for instance BBC

The Laureus World Sports Awards, due to be held in Rio de Janeiro this year, have been cancelled. […]

The news represents another setback for Brazil in its struggles to prepare for the World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

It comes after the cancellation of the Soccerex conference last month and amid ongoing delays in the preparation for the football World Cup, which begins in June.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said Brazil is the least-prepared of any World Cup host he has known, while the International Olympic Committee has also expressed concerns that Rio 2016 organisers have no time to lose .