'Remain confident'

She urged the Rio organizing team to focus on getting the venues and infrastructure right as well as taking the "matrix of responsibility" and would return to Brazil next year to see how things were progressing.

"We remain confident Rio and Brazil have the resources and the energy and ambition to deliver a memorable Olympic Games in 2016."

Australian IOC member Kevan Gosper, who also serves as chairman of the IOC press commission, told Nuzman that Rio needed to get their media operations in order, including better communication with the Brazilian public to reassure them about the Games and end the protests.

"I'm still concerned with the delay related to your press operations. It took you three and a half years to appoint a media chief," Gosper said.

"You simply have to keep your public aware about what's happening.

"If the community doesn't get it, you'll have a repeat of what you've had (protests)."

Nuzman, a lawyer who represented Brazil in volleyball at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, said the Rio organizers were aware of the growing discontent and he vowed they would do a better job getting their messages across.

"We have a free country, we have a democracy in every sense and everybody can express their opinion," he said.

"It's important to take in consideration any protest concerning the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

"The population loves sport... but we need to be much more transparent and open to communicate to everybody what's happening."