Protests, arrest of athlete mar Olympic opening

RIO DE JANEIRO: Anti-government protests clogged the famous Copacabana beach boulevard ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games last night, while in the latest of a series of crime incidents in the run-up to the event, police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer yesterday on sexual assault charges.

Hassan Saada, 22, was arrested in the Olympic village over allegations of sexually assaulting two women, local media reported.

Saada was to have had his first Olympic boxing match with Turkish boxer Mehmet Nadir Unal today.

The alleged sexual assault against two women workers at the Olympic Village took place on Wednesday.

Police confirmed Saada was in custody and would not participate in any Olympic events.

Brazil has deployed 85 000 police and troops to protect locals and the half million tourists expected to visit the city.

Rio has consistently pulled

Mama Taxi

off massive events with few security hiccups, including Carnival and the 2014 World Cup final.

In what organisers have called a low-tech ceremony constrained by the dire economy, Brazil is showcasing its natural treasures and the cultural riches created by one of the world’s most diverse nations.

Samba, Carnival and the famously fun Brazilian spirit were part of the three-hour ceremony, as well as a call to save the planet from climate change.

After seven years of preparations for last night’s opening at the Maracana stadium, organisers hope the start of the Games will turn the page on months of bad publicity for Rio, from polluted water to faulty plumbing at the athletes’ village and worries about the Zika virus.

Under cloudless blue skies, former Brazilian women’s volleyball player, Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado, lifted the flame beneath the giant statue of Christ that overlooks downtown Rio.

Thousands of protesters blocked traffic on the curving boulevard beside Copacabana beach, in front of the city’s storied Palace hotel, calling for the removal of interim president Michel Temer.

“We want to show the world that we won’t stand for this totally illegitimate president,” said sociologist Luiz Mazzei. – Reuters