Recession in Rio threatens Olympic Games
Aerial view of the construction of Barra Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Courtesy of rio2016.com
August 5 to August 21, 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete in the first Olympic Games held in South America. Athletes will gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to compete in 42 different sports. The city is facing a major economic crisis, however, and is struggling to combat more relevant issues while simultaneously preparing for the Olympic Games, according to rio2016.com.
Seven years ago, when the Brazilian economy was growing and the country was emerging as a stable world power, the International Olympic Committee awarded Rio de Janeiro the opportunity to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to npr.org.
Courtesy of rio2016.com.
With five months left before the start of the Olympic Games, Rio is facing a recession, corruption scandals, impeachment proceedings, and panic over a mosquito-borne virus that causes brain damage in infants, according to npr.org.
Oil production is a major source of revenue for the Rio state government, but dropping prices have left the state bankrupt. This economic decline is most profoundly affecting state hospitals, creating a major health care crisis, according to npr.org.
As a result of funding shortages, a woman recently gave birth on a sidewalk in Rio because the hospital was not admitting patients. As the main doctors union highlighted, the health system in Rio is not capable of dealing with the influx of tourists for the games, according to npr.org.
“They have no money. They can’t incur any last-minute costs. Budgets have been slashed across the board,” Olympics editor at Rio’s largest daily newspaper, O Globo, Roberto Maltchik said, according to npr.org.
Rio is already facing problems within the Olympic stadium, which recently had its water and lights cut off because of unpaid bills, according to npr.org.
Athletes are also affected by the recession and budget cuts. Mr. Davilani Cruz, a member of Brazil’s national taekwondo team, says Brazil’s Ministry of Sports has not paid the monthly dues in five months, which will weaken the performance of Brazil’s athletes, according to npr.org.
“We have enough money to do everything that is supposed to be done, as you can see here. We are not China [which hosted the 2008 games]; we are not England [which hosted the 2012 games]. We are not a rich country. So every time we can cut some of the budget of the Olympics, we will do it. This is not going to be an Olympics of wasting money,” Rio’s mayor Mr. Eduardo Paes said, according to npr.org.
– Jade Cohen, Opinions Editor
