Hosting the Olympics is a big deal, it puts nations on the map and shows their first world status; it is a great honor and it is very expensive; not all nations can afford to even consider it, and those that do often have to spend a lot of money to host the games and deal with the economic costs later, paying off the debt and contracted bonds to make it all happen. In hindsight, many countries wish they had reconsidered their decision to participate in the big games. Brazil will host the 2016 Olympics, but problems are already mounting. Let’s talk.
Well now everyone is concerned about the Zika virus in Latin America, and specifically 2016 Olympics tourists are considering skipping the trip, which could wreak havoc on the financial challenges Brazil already faces with a declining economy and a negative GDP growth. An article in the Daily Mail published on January 30, 2016 titled; “Could the rampant Zika virus that causes deformed babies stop the Olympics? Rio faces a crisis when spectators and athletes are warned not to go,” said Flora Drury; four major new developments of this crisis:
– The panic is spreading with six months to go for the opening ceremony.
– Australian team tells athletes to consider participating ‘very carefully’
– Airlines that offer refunds to pregnant women traveling to infected countries.
– The government says they are doing everything possible before the Games.
Of course, this is not the only problem, as the Brazilian government has displaced the slums for the development of Olympic facilities and has moved to generally clean up crime-ridden areas to avoid negative public relations on the world stage during the games. . All of this has already come at a cost to its international reputation around the world, perhaps similar to the problem of smog and air pollution before and during the Beijing China Olympics.
The Guardian reported that Brazilian police are moving to clean up areas where Olympic visitors can travel; “The Rio de Janeiro police killed 1,500 in five years, says Amnesty International,” the article read; “The rights group’s report finds that nearly one in six homicides in Brazil’s Olympic city was committed by service officials and most of the victims were young, poor, black and male,” and more;
“In a study of official data and journalistic reports from the host city of the Olympic Games, civil rights groups found that almost one in six homicides was carried out by serving policy officials as part of a” scare strategy. “In the favela communities, more than 75% of the victims from 2010 to 2013 were black men between the ages of 15 and 29. Most of the cases were presented as” resistance followed by death, “which protects the perpetrators of the civil courts. Out of 220 investigations, Amnesty found only one case that led to an accused officer. “
Now some wonder not if the Games will lose money in Brazil, but how much. That is unfortunate and something to keep in mind. Think about it.