Brazil is screwed, isn't it? Rio has declared a state of emergency in order to access addition funds for things like making Olympic venues accessible. I know this kind of thing happens a lot, but the games are less than two months away.
Brazil is screwed, isn't it? Rio has declared a state of emergency in order to access addition funds for things like making Olympic venues accessible. I know this kind of thing happens a lot, but the games are less than two months away.
Er, no, I don't think declaring an emergency to get more funds to support the Olympics has ever happened before (or were you being sarcastic?)
The entire thing sounds like a comedy of errors: president impeached, government in a shambles, Zika, massive unemployment, massive pollution particularly of the nearby waterways for long distance swimming and boating events, lack of ticket sales, and a financial situation for Rio that looks disastrous. Whats next, a civil war? I know Rio was awarded the Olympics like 8 years earlier, but given how bad things are there, it seems like they got the award in a FIFA-like bribe. I'm sure that isn't the case, but what was the OOC thinking? This Olympics sounds like its going to be a total clusterf*ck. From what I understand, many venues (arenas and hotels) aren't even ready yet just 1 1/2 months out.
I think moving forward the Olympics should only be awarded to a country that is financially stable and can ensure proper security. In this day and age, there are few countries that can promise both: China, US, maybe a few countries in the EU, maybe Australia, maybe Russia? If we throw in a lack of pollution, that would probably rule out the big cities in China.
The best solution would be to select a couple semi-permanent locations. Maybe winter and summer games locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The big problem is the IOC, an organization so venal and corrupt it gives FIFA and the NCAA something to aspire to.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/...pens_next.html
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I love the Olympics, but I really feel like the Rio games are going to be a mess. It's really a shame.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I agree with you - I simply meant lots of cities have had to scramble to get things ready in time.
IMO, it was a big mistake when they decided to hold the Winter and Summer Olympics in different years. The feels like it's almost always Olympic season instead of just once every four years. It doesn't feel very special anymore.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to a great, big Brazilian clusterf*ck! And who knows what Russia will do?
I think the biggest concern will be the water and Zika, by far. From what I understand, like half of the water in the country is raw sewage. Not a good thing.
I think they need to rethink everything moving forward. So many countries spend billions on this one-time endeavor, while their people lack the basic necessities of survival.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Having been to Rio a few times, I was pretty shocked when they won the Olympic bid, and felt it was going to be problematic from the get go, and that is even before the price of oil dropped and screwed Brazil's economy even further. The infrastructure there is a real mess, they would have been better off having it is Sao Paulo, IMO. Throw Zika into the mix, and that makes it even worse. A lot of athletes are starting to announce they are skipping it, probably a lot due to Zika. I definitely would reconsider if my event put me anywhere near the water.
I was on Rio back in '88 (USN) I thought I'd been to some real dumps in my travels, but yikes. Raw sewage outlet right in between Ipanema and Copacabana, hypo-needles sticking out of the sand, everybody out to screw you and not in a fun way. Every dude a pimp and his sister a prostitute. You couldn't do anything without bribing someone.
To the IOC it doesn't matter how crappy the location is, financially unfeasible the gov't is, etc. It's how much cold hard cash and weapons-grade hookers you can lavish on the IOC voting members.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I can't imagine Sao Paulo is much better, from what I've heard.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
The main benefit for Sao Paulo is the infrastructure, crime and traffic and not as bad as Rio, again in IMO. It just seemed to me a much cleaner and easier city to get around in (even though it is even bigger than Rio). And from what I remember, the largest favela by far in the whole of Brazil (the large neighborhoods full of ramshackle houses) is the one right behind the resorts of the Copacabana area of Rio. Those places are so dangerous, the Brazilian police won't even go in there, they send in the military if anything serious goes down. As for the corruption and crime, I have experienced it first hand, when a taxi driver tried to extort me for several hundred dollars by taking my cell phone hostage. Funny story about that one, managed to get it back without paying for it.
So far it seems to go pretty well although whoever signed off on the Cycling Road Race course and especially that final descent should be banned from ever being involved in Cycling again. No way it is safe to put a tough technical and super fast descent on about 16k from the finish, a descent riddled with steep drops on one side, lots and lots of trees and concrete borders on the other. Some top men riders crashed yesterday with broken collar bones and shoulder blades and today a female Dutch rider who was in gold medal position had a horrific crash resulting in concussion and some cracks in her back vertebrae. Sure all riders took maybe a bit too much risk but all those obstacles had the potential to be fatal.
I always love watching the summer and winter Olympics, and I totally expected this one to be a train wreck. But so far it's been good. Wind played some havoc on the outdoor diving facility, but when the event took place things were okay.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
The only train wreck to this point has been NBC's coverage both on tv and on line. Their website is quite a mess and the streams are often slow. Their coverage of the opening ceremonies was a new low, they were going to commercials every 5-8 minutes for the first 90-120 minutes. From what I've heard, 3 Australians have been robbed, two at knife point or gun point, the third happened when a fire caused everyone in their building to evacuate. Aside from that, the only other security issue has been two packages that they thought might be bombs but weren't. And it looks like the zika concerns may be fading. I think the only major concern left is swimming and boating in the bay. Will anyone get sick from that?
It actually looked worse than it eventually was. Concussion and a few cracks in 3 vertebrae but apparently not major ones. She actually appeared on a Dutch Olympics chat show from the Heineken Holland House yesterday. Remarkably she has bounced back mentally already it seems realising she rode the race of her life and discovering new things about her abilities which she says has really inspired her to push even harder from now on.
Very impressive attitude.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Was very adventful!
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