Ha...maybe they could use the left over Greek Olympic village:
Posted on 01/12/2016 11:02:42 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The 2016 Summer Olympics kicks off on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro -- but with less than seven months until the Opening Ceremony, a slew of problems still show no signs of improvement.
Will Connors had a good, if troubling, piece in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday laying out the concerns in Rio.
Not only does the list of concerns appear to be trending in the wrong direction as the Games draw closer, it also shows no signs of improvement.
Let's break down the biggest problems:
1. Questions over Rio's mobility plan
Rio is racing to build a 16 kilometer subway extension from the city's center to the Olympic Park, which Connors reports will carry some 300,000 fans each day to the game's events during the Olympics. This construction reportedly needs somewhere in the ballpark of $247 million U.S. dollars in federal funds to be completed, but Brasilia, the nation's capital, is currently distracted by corruption scandals and ongoing impeachment proceedings against president Dilma Rousseff.
What's more, the subway extension is set to open on July 1. The Games begin on August 5, leaving a small window of time for the city to smooth out inevitable kinks in the new infrastructure. Worst of all, as a spokeswoman told Connors that if the extension isn't ready, there is "no plan B."
2. Outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases
Multiple diseases are spiraling out of control in Brazil, spreading faster than officials efforts to combat them. Writes Connors:
As of early December, a record 1.58 million cases of dengue fever were reported in Brazil in 2015. Chikungunya is mushrooming too. Most worrisome is a relatively new, fast-spreading virus called Zika. Authorities estimate it may have infected as many as 1.5 million people in recent months
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
OTHER PROBLEMS
3. A ballooning budget in the wake of a national economic crisis
4. Sewage-infested bodies of water — and no signs of effective clean up
5. A souring public sentiment
Maybe Sergio Mendes can fix it.
AIDS capital of the W. Hemisphere?
For a developing country still struggling to deliver basic services and infrastructure what a waste throwing tens of billions US $ to host two glorified parties; World Cup and Olympics. By the way, Brazil has been downgraded to junk bond status.
The Olympics should pick a permanent location, like one of the Greek islands.
Almost too late for a Romney miracle...
So why is the U.S. contributing money for their subway? It’s not like we are awash in extra dollars.
“federal” in the article refers to the central gov’t of Brazil in Brasilia.
So, we thought the recent winter Olympics in Sochi were a debacle? Stand by. The two most pressing problems in Brazil are (1) political corruption, and (2) violent crime. The rest pales in comparison.
And Brazil 16?
The Olympics should be held in the same place every four years.
The Winter Olympics should be held in Scandinavia or Canada. The Summer Olympics should be held on Crete.
No muss, no fuss. Think of the savings.
And someone approved Rio getting the games, why? Just show us a couple of pictures of their women’s volleyball team and we can move on.
I don't think we are... though it's a bit poorly worded, I think the writer meant to indicate the amount of equivalent funds needed... if you believe their currency is stable, that is.
Brazil got it together for the World Cup because it’s soccer. That’s a religion there. Olympics just aren’t as big a deal there so it’s FUBAR business as usual.
Ha...maybe they could use the left over Greek Olympic village:
Forget Rio. More importantly, has Athens gotten their preparations completed yet?
In Athens in 2004, Olympic preparations were a mess 1 week before the opening.
Maybe so, but there hasn’t been an Olympics in recent memory where I hadn’t seen a headline like “Blank-Blank Olympics A Mess With Only a Few Months to Go”, and yet in the end, everything works out.
Maybe they could cancel the whole thing. I’m sick of it, to be honest, except for women’s beach volleyball. Because I admire the athleticism.
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