The IOC have held secret meetings with London to see whether they would be able to host the 2016 Olympics at the last minute, with Rio being too far behind schedule.

Informal discussions have reportedly taken place, with IOC chiefs looking into the possibility as to whether the London 2012 Olympic venues could be reopened in time.

IOC vice-president John Coates called the preparations “the worst I’ve experienced.” with every venue behind schedule, the cost of the games spiralling as well as accusations of negligence.

With a special task force having been set up, it seems the IOC are now looking for alternatives in case the situation in Rio does not improve.

A source said: “At a comparable planning stage in 2004, Athens had done 40 per cent of preparations on infrastructure, stadiums and so on.

“London had done 60 per cent. Brazil has done 10 per cent — and they have just two years left. So the IOC is thinking, ‘What’s our plan B?’

“Obviously, the answer would be to come back to London. It’s very unlikely but it would be the logical thing to do.”

But it seems London 2016 is just a worst-case scenario. The cost of upgrading the facilities to competition-standard again is in the millions and many of the sites have been converted to public use.

The idea has been called a “non-starter and unfeasible” by a spokeswoman for the International Olympic Committee but the idea is being put out there by a number of concerned committee members.

Meanwhile, another worker at a World Cup stadium in Brazil died on Thursday in an electrical accident, temporarily interrupting construction at one of the most-delayed venues only five weeks before the tournament.

Rosenil Moraes, head of emergency services in the western state of Mato Grosso, said the construction worker, later identified as 32-year-old Muhammad Ali Maciel Afonso, received an electric shock at the site of Arena Pantanal in the wetlands city of Cuiaba. 

He died more than half an hour later of a cardiorespiratory arrest. Officials are not clear on what caused the accident.

It happened only hours before President Dilma Rouseff toured another stadium still under construction in Sao Paulo in an attempt to soothe fears over delays that could interfere with the matches.

His death comes at a worrisome time as organisers rush to finish the last three stadiums ahead of the opening match on June 12.