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.
THE STARS
Phelps and Bolt will be the showstopping faces of these Games, even if they are not as overwhelmingly favoured to win as they were at past Olympics. Both men have achieved rock-star status in their respective sports and both have opportunities to set Olympic records that may never be touched.
In the pool, Phelps will compete in as many as six events, looking to add to his record 22 Olympic medals, 18 of those gold. The 31-year-old U.S. flag bearer will compete in his fifth Games and promises to retire from a sport he led to new heights in popularity.
Bolt will look to make it a triple, triple gold-medal experience. The Jamaican star won gold in the 100 and 200 metres the past two Olympics, as well as the 4x100 metre relay, and plans to contest all three again.
The sublimely talented showman, who has been hampered by a hamstring injury leading up to the Games, would be the first Olympian to pull off that tripletriple feat.
And then there’s a special treat for locals.
While the men’s soccer competition is an under-23 event, teams are allowed to add three overage players and the host Brazilians have opted to include the beloved Neymar, a huge fan favourite here.
THE GAMES
With four more medals awarded than in Beijing (2008) and London (2012), there will be a record 306 medal events contested at these Games.
Among the new arrivals are men’s and women’s golf, returning after a 112-year absence. Men’s golf had a rocky start with top-ranked Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson withdrawing.
Much of the focus of Week 1 will be on swimming, while athletics takes the stage for Week 2 as the two traditional showcase, multi-medal events get plenty of time in the spotlight.
Beach volleyball, the pastime of so many Brazilians, also will be a big hit here. So too will men’s basketball, featuring the latest incarnation of the U.S. Dream Team, and men’s soccer in this football-mad land.
OH, CANADA
Most prognosticators have Canada winning in the vicinity of 20 medals, with a modest gold-medal total almost certain to be measured by the fingers of one hand.
Our Postmedia projections call for 21 Canadian visits to the medal stand, with two athletes reaching the top of the podium. (Sports Illustrated, meanwhile, is a tad more bullish, giving four gold to Canada.)
The consensus top two choices, however, are reigning world champion paddler Mark de Jonge in the men’s K-1, 200 metres, and world silver medallist Brianne Theisen-Eaton in heptathlon. Beyond that pair, there are several podium prospects on a young Canadian team that is hoping to top the 18 medals won four years earlier in London.
Among those garnering some serious attention will be the Canadian women’s soccer team, off to a rousing start with an upset 2-0 win over favoured Australia on Wednesday. Next up is a date with Zimbabwe on Saturday.
Track observers around the world are keen to see how young Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse fares at his first Olympics. The Pan Am Games champ in his hometown Toronto last summer, he won bronze at the world championship in 2015.
The Olympic track meet figures to be a strong one for Canada with Theisen-Eaton, world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber and world champion high jumper Derek Drouin all strong medal threats.
As many as three medals could come from the paddling events, with kayaker Adam van Koeverden, a four-time medallist, expected to retire after Rio.
News you can use: Of the 314 Canadians scheduled to compete for Canada across 34 sports, 186 are women and 128 are men.
THE SHOW
Through the lenses of the TV cameras of NBC and CBC, Canadian viewers will see these Games as one spectacularly vivid television studio.
Copacabana Beach will be prominent in the background of various sets, as will Sugarloaf Mountain, which towers over Lagoa, home to the rowing and canoe-kayak competitions. As visuals go, the first South American nation to host a Summer Games certainly will be spectacular.
The massive $1.2 billion NBC spent on U.S. rights to these Olympics comes with some perks, including a set for the Today Show on the sand at the eastern end of Copacabana Beach. It also empowers the network to dictate starting times for all events and there’s been more than a little grumbling from swimmers about finals being raced after 11 p.m. local time to accommodate the Michael Phelps-Katie Ledecky show in prime time.
If the swimming doesn’t capture the top ratings, the next best bet is a potential showdown in the men’s 100-metre final between Bolt and the fastest man in the world so far this year, Justin Gatlin of the U.S.
News you can use: In Canada, rights holder CBC will livestream more than 4,000 hours of Olympics coverage on its website, cbc. ca, complementing the 900 hours of traditional TV telecasts.
THE HOSTS
There are mixed feelings on just how enthusiastically Brazilians are embracing these Games.
Judging by the crowds soaking up the sun and pre-Olympic vibe at Copacabana on Thursday, however, the enthusiasm is starting to build. Locals we have spoken with seem willing to put aside the concerns coming into the Games and embrace the global guests, while visitors remain cautiously optimistic that safety fears won’t be a major obstacle.
While Brazil will be nowhere near the powerhouse of recent Olympic hosts such as Russia and China, there are at least a couple of events that will stand out. One of them, certainly, is beach volleyball, which will be contested in a towering stadium built in the heart of Copacabana Beach.
On Thursday, there were dozens playing volleyball in the sand outside the stadium, on the beach considered by many to be the birthplace of the sport. With that in mind, the Brazilian duo of Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca, who are huge medal favourites in the women’s event, may be among the most popular Brazilian athletes here.
The men’s soccer team is in that category, as well, although with a touch of nervousness given their infamous flame-out here in the World Cup two years ago.