“WELCOME TO HELL”
Earlier this month the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared Rio de Janeiro ready to host the games of the XXXI Olympiad.
According to the committee, the Brazilian metropolis had adequately prepared all 44 of its competition venues – which will host an estimated 11,000 athletes participating in dozens of events.
Is Rio really ready, though?
For months, global headlines have been dominated by concerns about the Zika virus – a mosquito-borne disease that has already prompted several athletes to bail on the games. According to both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), athletes and spectators are unlikely to be adversely impact by Zika because winter is approaching in Rio (meaning there will be fewer mosquitos biting people).
So for the sake of argument, let’s cross that one off the list.
Zika.
There.
Unfortunately, a myriad of other problems are looming large ahead of the opening ceremonies – which are scheduled for August 5.
The underlying problem? Money – or rather a lack thereof. When Brazil won the right to host the 2016 Olympic games back in 2009, its economy was booming. Today the nation has been gripped by its worst economic crisis in more than eighty years – leaving its taxpayers struggling to pick up the massive price tag associated with the games, which are currently running an estimated 51 percent over budget.
Complicating matters further is the fact that Brazil’s president – leftist leader Dilma Rousseff – has been suspended from office and is facing impeachment on corruption charges. Government in the South American nation has been effectively paralyzed as a result.
Pollution is also a major concern. A year ago, dangerous levels of human sewage were recorded in Guanabara Bay – where swimmers, sailors and windsurfers are scheduled to compete.
With the games less than a week away, the waters of the bay are still teeming with dangerous “super bacteria,” due in large part to the fact that Brazil spent only $200 million of the $4 billion it promised to spend treating the raw sewage that’s dumped into the bay.
In fact, a report this week from Martin Rogers of USA Today suggested Olympic officials were deliberately duped by “cosmetic” treatments of the water.
(Click to enlarge)
(Pic via Twitter)
Rogers’ report also ominously noted that “a giant pipe running from downtown churns human waste into the marina.”
“Rats roam around in the waste,” he added. “The stench makes uninitiated visitors feel like vomiting or fainting.”
Late last month, human body parts washed ashore near the beach volleyball venue.
Which brings us to the next point: Rio can be a very violent place. While its murder rate has dropped in recent years, there were 2,083 homicides in the city during the first five months of 2016 – an increase of 13 percent over the previous year.
One of those homicides – involving a 17-year-old girl – prompted a famous local athlete to issue a dire warning.
“Things are getting uglier here every day,” soccer star Rivaldo noted on his Instagram page. “I advise everyone with plans to visit Brazil for the Olympics in Rio – to stay home.”
Muggings in the city are up 14 percent – while street crime in the downtown area near the Olympic Village is up 26 percent.
Local politicians seem to agree.
In June, Rio’s acting governor Francisco Dornelles declared a state of emergency in the city – citing “a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management.”
Later that month, police in Rio began protesting at the local airport – welcoming visitors with a sign that read “Welcome to Hell.”
(Click to enlarge)
(Pic via Twitter)
What a mess …
And all of this is before we consider the very real threat posed by radical Islamic terrorists – who have issued calls for violence in Rio in the aftermath of several bloody attacks in Europe. Brazilian security officials have also previously acknowledged receiving “credible threats” from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
An estimated 85,000 security personnel will be on hand in Rio – roughly twice the size of the security contingent that was deployed for the London games four years ago. Still, many high-profile athletes (like American swimmer Michael Phelps) have decided not to take any chances and are hiring their own private security details.
Finally, the games themselves have been sullied thanks to a major doping scandal involving Russian athletes. As many as 85 members of Russia’s nearly 400-strong Olympic team have been barred from participating in the upcoming games – with the country narrowly missing being subjected to a “blanket ban.”
Based on what’s happening in Rio, though, maybe a “blanket ban” isn’t such a bad thing.