Brazil gets most of its Olympics act together - just

BTN News
Saturday, 06 August 2016

Just hours ahead of the 2016 Olympics opening ceremony in Brazil, it looked as though many new and upgraded facilities would be ready - just.


Most sporting venues were complete, although competitor accommodation still faced criticism - and the zika virus still features heavily in news items globally.


Some 85,000 soldiers and police will be on the country's streets to deter crime, while the new metro line linking the Rio hotel zone to the main Olympic Park has opened and for the duration of the Games, the line will be limited to Olympic officials, journalists and those with tickets for events.


Overall, about US$15 billion has been spent on the Olympics, with spin-off benefits for poorer residents in Games areas including better access to basic sanitation, clean water and better public transport.


However, it's not all good news, especially for those competing in water sports.


Rio's Guanabara Bay reportedly still is a smelly mass of sewage, household rubbish and industrial pollutants, despite the pledge to treat 80 per cent of all inflow from the bay's many tributaries. City and state officials admit they have failed to keep this key promise, although the IOC and Rio 2016 organisers still say the Games are ready.


Elsewhere, according to Amnesty International, there was a 103 per cent increase in police killings in Rio between April and June, with one Rio citizen killed every day. Since Rio won the Olympic bid in 2009, police have killed 2,600 people there. Amnesty’s Brazil director Atila Roque reportedly said: “A shadow of death has set over Rio de Janeiro and it seems the authorities only care about how pretty the Olympic Park looks.”  


In aviation and logistics terms, Brazil has faced a bigger challenge than it did for the 2014 World Cup, with more commercial and charter flights arriving, carrying more heads of state.


Brazil is expected to welcome 14,850 competitors from 206 nations, plus more than 10,000 athletes to compete from August 5 to 21, while the Paralympic Games with their own numbers will take place from September.


There are 32 venues across Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, plus five football co-host cities - Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, Salvador and São Paulo - taking part.
In terms of airport infrastructure and airline spending, both groups have spent heavily in the run-up to the event. Latam Airlines alone has invested about US$5.7 million preparing for the Games, with US$4.3 million allocated to special operations.

Brazil gets most of its Olympics act together - just

BTN News
Saturday, 06 August 2016

Just hours ahead of the 2016 Olympics opening ceremony in Brazil, it looked as though many new and upgraded facilities would be ready - just.


Most sporting venues were complete, although competitor accommodation still faced criticism - and the zika virus still features heavily in news items globally.


Some 85,000 soldiers and police will be on the country's streets to deter crime, while the new metro line linking the Rio hotel zone to the main Olympic Park has opened and for the duration of the Games, the line will be limited to Olympic officials, journalists and those with tickets for events.


Overall, about US$15 billion has been spent on the Olympics, with spin-off benefits for poorer residents in Games areas including better access to basic sanitation, clean water and better public transport.


However, it's not all good news, especially for those competing in water sports.


Rio's Guanabara Bay reportedly still is a smelly mass of sewage, household rubbish and industrial pollutants, despite the pledge to treat 80 per cent of all inflow from the bay's many tributaries. City and state officials admit they have failed to keep this key promise, although the IOC and Rio 2016 organisers still say the Games are ready.


Elsewhere, according to Amnesty International, there was a 103 per cent increase in police killings in Rio between April and June, with one Rio citizen killed every day. Since Rio won the Olympic bid in 2009, police have killed 2,600 people there. Amnesty’s Brazil director Atila Roque reportedly said: “A shadow of death has set over Rio de Janeiro and it seems the authorities only care about how pretty the Olympic Park looks.”  


In aviation and logistics terms, Brazil has faced a bigger challenge than it did for the 2014 World Cup, with more commercial and charter flights arriving, carrying more heads of state.


Brazil is expected to welcome 14,850 competitors from 206 nations, plus more than 10,000 athletes to compete from August 5 to 21, while the Paralympic Games with their own numbers will take place from September.


There are 32 venues across Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, plus five football co-host cities - Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, Salvador and São Paulo - taking part.
In terms of airport infrastructure and airline spending, both groups have spent heavily in the run-up to the event. Latam Airlines alone has invested about US$5.7 million preparing for the Games, with US$4.3 million allocated to special operations.