Rio 2016 update

With the Lighting of the Olympic Torch in Olympia, Greece this past week, its time for a Rio 2016 update.

Water Pollution

The IOC has come out with a statement this past week that they are confident the water is safe for Olympic athletes to compete in. The water quality at Copacabana Beach and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, home of open water swimming/triathlons and rowing and sprint/kayaking, respectively are safe to compete in and levels of pollution have been in the acceptable level for a few months now.
The water in the Marina del Gloria(sailing) is still polluted. The project to divert sewage away from the marina is not finished. The water at the beaches of Botafogo and Flamengo are still quite polluted. Rio organizers say trash in the water will not be a problem as eco barriers will be used to contain it and eco boats will patrol the waters looking for trash.

Venues

There have also been questions about whether the venues are ready. On April 18 there were power outages during a gymnastics test event. The outages ranged from 15-90 minutes. They were caused by a broken cable from construction crews doing work around the venue. There was another power outage of an hour at the swimming venue caused by an overheated generator. For the Rio swimming test event, lack of air conditioning caused complaints of too much humidity. Conditions will be cooler and drier in August during the games for the swimmers as it will be winter in Rio.

There is a delay in finishing the track cycling velodrome in Deodoro. The April test event there was cancelled. The contractor is being accused of fraud and payments to the construction company have been halted due the case against the contractor for fraud.

Also, the ASOIF(Association of Olympic International Sports Federations)complained during their visit that important details are missing from the field of play in several venues. Venues are 98% complete. Rio organizers say everything will be ready for the games. The boxing venue is now complete. It is now a permanent venue. Rio organizers originally thought it would be a temporary venue.

Zika Virus

The Zika virus is rampant in Rio now for the summer months. Rio Organizers say in winter months conditions are cooler and drier and mosquito activity will be minimal. Three months ago, the world health organization said that Zika is a global health emergency. Zika has been linked to microcephaly(birth defect) in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. It can be spread though sexual contact and there is no cure. Brazil's military has been out spraying for mosquitos at Olympic venues and around Rio since the beginning of 2016. They have also been knocking on doors throughout Brazil warning the public of the dangers of the Zika virus. Some Olympic athletes like USA soccer star Hope Solo and Fiji golfer Vijay Singh have expressed doubt about going to Rio because of the Vika virus. Hope Solo recently said she will compete in Rio.

Ticket Sales

At the 100 day mark to the games, Rio organizers say about 62% of tickets have been sold for the Olympics and only 24% of Paralympic tickets have been sold. Brazilians usually wait until the last moment to buy tickets. Brazilians are also suffering from the worst recession in 30 years and that could be hampering ticket sales as well. Zika virus concerns may also be hampering ticket sales.

Infrastructure and Budget

The eagerly awaited subway line that connects the City of Rio de Janeiro to Barra Olympic Park will open by July. Only Olympic staff and ticket holders will be able to use that subway line. After the Olympics 300,000 Brazilians will use that line daily.
The games budget has been slashed by 500 million US dollars. This includes cutting 20,000 volunteer positions and 1,000 games time vehicles. Olympic sponsor Panasonic is giving large financial support to the opening and closing ceremonies.

Political turmoil

On April 17, Brazil's lower house of congress voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff. She will out of power for 180 days now that the senate has voted to impeach her. This would include the Rio games opening ceremony. She is being impeached for allegedly using accounting tricks to shore up Brazil's budget. There have been large protests in Brazil over the past year calling for Rousseff's impeachment. A large percentage of Brazil's congress are suspected of corruption as well.

Tidbits

The Olympic torch has arrived in Brazil this week. The torch relay will visit 329 cities in Brazil and will encompass 90% of Brazil's population. There will be 12,000 torchbearers during the relay. The torch will be moved to downtown Rio after the opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium. The Maracana Stadium will only be used for the opening and closing ceremonies and soccer matches. The Joao Havelange Stadium will be used for Track and Field the second week of the games. The Olympic Track was recently installed at the Joao Havelange Stadium. It will be blue.
Lastly, on a sad note a large portion of a 12 million dollar Rio legacy project, a seaside bike path collapsed killing two people and injuring three on April 21.