Games bring hope of a better future
But the Olympics, even its torch run, still seem out of reach for some Rio residents
RIO DE JANEIRO— Other than the two little boys with their father, leaning against a graffiti covered wall, there wasn’t much of a sign that something Olympic was about to happen. But three-year-old Bernado, clutching no fewer than five plastic Olympic torches, and his 10-year-old brother, Kaio, were waiting patiently to see some visible element of the Games that have enveloped their city in a mixture of national pride, financial concern and, more than the usual, traffic mayhem.
The first reward for their patience was the electronic dance music, which started to drown out the heavy road traffic beside Cidade do Samba, a complex of buildings in the port area of the city. Then came a van, dropping off a woman about to carry the torch. That was about the last thing Bernado and Kaio could see clearly.
When the torch relay came around the corner it was preceded by police, lots of police, and enough of them in full riot gear to quell a decent-sized G8 protest. It was quite the show of force for the dozen or so spectators that lined the road.
There have been protesters disrupting the torch in other locations around Brazil — in the seaside town of Angra dos Reis the police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets — but here, on this small stage of the relay, that wasn’t the case.
The torchbearer who spoke excitedly to the boys and a few other spectators as she waited for her turn with the lit Olympic flame only ran with it for a block before she was bundled back into the van and driven off. It took far longer for the hundreds of police to organize themselves back into their transport, which included everything from armoured vehicles to city buses.
Rather than a Terry Fox-style run covering a lot of miles through the city to drum up excitement, the Olympic torch relay, seemingly for reasons of security and the unimaginable traffic snarls that would be involved, is far more of a staged affair. In fits and spurts the torch, which arrived by boat and was met by Mayor Eduardo Paes on Wednesday morning, will make its way through the city to arrive at the Maracana Stadium for Friday night’s opening ceremony.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Estala Machado, a manager in a nearby store, who came to watch the torch relay. “It’s very important for Rio.”
She smiled as she watched the seemingly never-ending stream of police accompanying the relay.
“It’s not normal,” she said. “It’s for you.”
In total, some 85,000 police and military personnel are here to ensure the Olympics go off without a security hitch and that’s twice the force deployed at the last Summer Games in London.
Do the extra police reassure locals, she was asked. “So-so,” she replied. The residents of this city have a complicated history with their police forces and even the normally chatty cab driver Alexandre Valente paused and carefully chose his words when it came to talking about the police.
“Here, there are many conflicts between police and drug dealers,” he said.
He lives near a favela — one of the hillside communities across the city that are known for high crime and poverty and a lack of public services — and he hears the shooting at night.
Back in 2009, when Rio was named to host these Games, it was an economic powerhouse and this was to be its global coming-out party. But many Brazilians, despite their reputation, are in no mood for a party. Their economy is in a crushing recession, government is embroiled in corruption scandals and the president is facing impeachment.
Two years ago, Valente made 1,000 Brazilian reals a day, or about $400. Now, it’s hard to make 600 and with inflation his salary is half of what it used to be, he said.
As a former water polo player and boxer he would like to watch some of the Olympics live, but he won’t.
“I can’t go, I need to work, I need to enjoy this (busy) moment because work has not been good,” he said.
But he still has hope for his future — he’s a cab driver now but he takes lessons ever Saturday to become a better-paid tour guide — and for his city.
“This city has many problems but it is beautiful in nature and history,” he said, while discussing the investment in infrastructure. “This is the moment of sacrifice. It’s a commitment to the Olympics and after we can enjoy the legacy, and the traffic will be better.”