Rio Games lurching to the finish line
The problems are massive, the country in crisis — but officials insist Olympics will be ready on time
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil is in crisis. The government of President Dilma Rousseff is teetering on the brink of collapse, barely mourned by a population who equate her term in office with widespread corruption and economic mismanagement.
Rousseff ’s coalition partners recently pulled out of the government, pushing her ruling party closer to the exit door. Ministerial resignations have become commonplace: last week the Brazilian Sports Minister, George Hilton, departed.
Suddenly the preparedness of Rio for the opening of the Olympic Games on Aug. 5 has been put into stark perspective. The country appears to be in chaos.
But at a news conference given by members of the Games Organizing Committee last week, the mood remained bullish. “Everything will be ready on time,” insisted Mario Andrade, the director of communications for Rio 2016.
Politics aside, with just over four months to the grand opening ceremony in the Maracana stadium, there are still several significant issues that could compromise such bold intentions.
TRANSPORTATION
Rio’s Achilles heel. The roads along the rocky spine of hills that split downtown from the Barra area, where the Olympic Park is situated, create a natural bottleneck. Last week, it took 90 minutes to drive from the athletes’ village to the athletics stadium.
But the worst news involves the new subway line, which was intended to whisk spectators to and from the park. The deadline for completion is July 1. Test trains were due to be running on the track late last month. But since the rails have not yet been laid along much of the route, and several bridges remain in a state of half-completion, that seems unfeasible.
POLLUTION
For the past 150 years much of Rio’s sewage — and a good proportion of its garbage — has been dumped into Guanabara Bay. The decision to have the sailing competition in the bay, with its photogenic backdrop of Sugar Loaf Mountain, finally prompted a cleanup. In 2009, when Rio won the right to stage the Games, only 12 per cent of the sewage was treated. The aim then was to lift that to 80 per cent by the start of the sailing event. So far, it’s at 50 per cent.
Recent photos suggest sailors will be confronted by all sorts floating debris, from animal carcasses to discarded sofas. But more alarming are the independent test results which show that the water contains levels of disease-causing viruses 1,000 times higher than considered acceptable in the United States.
TICKET SALES
Half the tickets have been sold, well behind London 2012 at the same stage. The official rationale is that Brazilians are traditionally late buyers and the number sold so far represents a huge figure by local standards.
ZIKA
Dozens of Brazilian babies have been born this year affected by Guillan-Barre syndrome and microcephaly, two conditions associated with the mosquito-borne infection. Significant insecticide initiatives have been undertaken around Rio, including a British-based project to release geneticallymodifiedmosquitoes.The Olympic Park and the rowing lake are both near areas of the city where the insects breed. Organizers are planning to give athletes and spectators detailed instructions of how to take preventive measures.
VENUES
The cycling velodrome in Olympic Park is not much more than a shell. The ventilation system hasn’t been installed, meaning the Siberian pine track is nowhere near being laid. A new completion date of May 31 has been announced. But organizers insist the velodrome is the exception. Contrary to expectations, the overwhelming majority of the stadiums are built, ready and have been tested. Around the Olympic Park, final touches are being added along the kilometre-long central raised walkway.