Rio Olympic venues hit by swathes of empty seats as fans complain about missing key events [tr]

UK Daily Mail ^ | August 7, 2016 | Alex Bywater

[C19fan]

The weeks and months leading up to the Rio Olympics saw a storm over Russian doping and concerns over the spread of the Zika virus.

But with the action now underway, the start of the Games has seen some venues dominated by swathes of empty seats as fans struggled to navigate huge queues around the Olympic Park.

The rugby sevens, tennis and boxing saw athletes compete with the stands half empty on Saturday and while some venues did see an increase in fan numbers throughout the day, the situation must be cause for concern for Rio chiefs.

[C19fan]

#RioSucks

[wally_bert]

[headstamp 2]

The media will do its part to hide everything possible.

[Roccus]

...the situation must be cause for concern for Rio chiefs.

Not bloody likely. Why should they be concerned? The tickets are pre-paid and they sure as hell ain't giving refunds to spectators who can't get there on time due to security.

[pa_dweller]

It’s no better on the tube. Had to negotiate almost an hour of beach volleyball (woo-hoo) to see five minutes of air rifle.

[minnesota_bound]

I watched some women's volleyball but missed the air rifle match..... darn it

[Dilbert San Diego]

Wow. Well, I’ve got to salute the home team. Best of luck to the Brazilian girls in their matches.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I’ve heard too, that some people from other countries simply decided not to attend these Olympics. They may have paid for tickets in advance, but, canceled their travel plans.

With all the bad news about Zika virus problems, polluted water, polluted beaches, security problems, and all the rest, I’m sure some people got the impression that Rio is in a 3rd world country. And decided not to throw good money after bad.