GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Can Phelps, Bolt and Olympic magic cut through the negativity surrounding Rio?

For some of the right reasons and maybe too many of the wrong, the worldfamous Copacabana Beach is the picture perfect postcard for the Summer Olympics.

On the surface, the famous strip of Brazilian sand and sea is blinding in its beauty. The endless stretch of beach is framed by deceiving, true blue water and a parade of bodies of all shapes and sizes wearing beachwear offering widely varying coverage.

But like the Games, which officially launch Friday when the flame is lit in Rio’s beloved Maracana Stadium, it may not be as idyllic as what the eye takes in.

The water, we know, is polluted and in some areas harbours floating excrement. The beach may mostly be safe by day, but at night, crime is a threatening shadow that hangs over visitors and locals alike.

For the Games itself, there exists another perplexing mirage. An Olympics that could be a breakthrough in South America — with competitions expected to provide a rousing Olympic adieu to American swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt — is clouded by the Russian doping scandal and fears that all will not come off as smoothly as organizers promise.

How many medals will be tainted by the institutional doping exposed at the Sochi Games? Will the stadiums be safe? Will transportation allow fans and athletes to get to venues on time? And will the threat of terror attack that looms with every Olympics now be more real?

So welcome to Rio, where the best summer athletes in the world gather in what is the Brazilian winter, hoping that for 16 days higher, faster, stronger trumps the lurking threats.

Here’s a quick look at what to expect over the next two-plus weeks from 42 sports, more than 10,000 athletes and the 206 countries they represent.