# Is Rio Ready for the 2016 Olympics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 25, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481 "2015-06-25T22:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/21 "2015-06-27T14:11:14Z")
> [@bonzer](#): > > I’m sure 2014 gives them a good head start and one can argue the numbers, but the Summer Olympics (and let’s not forget the Paralympics) are a much, much bigger deal to the host city than being part of a World Cup. Speaking as someone who was living in Chicago when they did the opening game of the World Cup in 1994, who was in Seoul about a week before they did the same in 2002 and who was living in London in 2012, I’d suggest that the pressure, scale and expectations around the Olympics are at least an order of magnitude greater, if not more. > > After all, to host a World Cup, all the capital itself basically has to do is mount a few international football games and cities like that do that routinely, with lots of visiting foreign fans, often with much of the local population barely noticing. No doubt it’s a much bigger deal in regional venues and much of the expense of a World Cup is doubtless often in building new stadia there. > For the Olympics the host nation has to mount a similarly-scaled football tournament just as one tiny facet of the whole, most of which is concentrated into one city. It’s an intrinsically much more complicated affair. > \*\* > But everyone in London instantly thought his comment insane. I still pity whatever aide had to elucidate [the context](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnishambles) (swearing involved) of the “Romneyshambles” coinage to him\*\*. Only because it was said by a foreigner, particularly a right wing Republican Presidential campaigner. We had the very same scare stories in the UK press which Romney only repeated. None of these resulted in a “how dare they/he say that” response. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/22 "2015-06-27T15:44:34Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Only because it was said by a foreigner, particularly a right wing Republican Presidential campaigner. We had the very same scare stories in the UK press which Romney only repeated. None of these resulted in a “how dare they/he say that” response. But in comparison to any other Olympics London was very well prepared, I don’t recall any serious concerns that the venues would not be ready in time. In fact…here we go. [A glowing endorsement a year ahead of the games.](http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/jul/25/london-olympics-preparations-ioc-president) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/23 "2015-06-27T16:12:07Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Did they not teach you the meaning of the word “much”? Yes, they should be able to reuse the stadiums for things like the athletic competitions – and football. And the hotels and accommodations, the roads and transportation, the media infrastructure, the logistics, the police which have already been trained in the matter, the organisers, and just in general the thousands of people with the experience and expertise required to host a giant sports event, etc. Some things they’ll need to create from scratch, but they have a great head start. The problem is that the World Cup was held in Brazil, while the Olympics are being held in Rio. There will be some venues outside the city, but for the most part, infrastructure in Recife isn’t going to help much. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/24 "2015-06-27T16:32:12Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In no sense related to the size, scope and cost of the event is this statement even remotely close to true. In scope any WC is bigger than an Olympics. The world stops in footballing countries when the WC is being played. The Olympics are more of a niche event. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/25 "2015-06-27T16:46:12Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Only because it was said by a foreigner, particularly a right wing Republican Presidential campaigner. We had the very same scare stories in the UK press which Romney only repeated. None of these resulted in a “how dare they/he say that” response. Mitt Romney was not a ‘right wing’ Repiblican. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/26 "2015-06-27T16:48:39Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > The problem is that the World Cup was held in Brazil, while the Olympics are being held in Rio. There will be some venues outside the city, but for the most part, infrastructure in Recife isn’t going to help much. The World Cup was a disaster for Brazil… > **[Brazil's $3 billion World Cup stadiums are becoming white elephants a year later](https://www.businessinsider.com/brazil-world-cup-stadiums-one-year-later-2015-5)** > > Empty. > **[Brazil's World Cup Legacy Includes $550M Stadium-Turned-Parking Lot](https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/11/405955547/brazils-world-cup-legacy-includes-550m-stadium-turned-parking-lot)** > > Another lavish $215 million arena built for last year's event is now a homeless shelter. Touted as one of the best World Cups in history on the pitch, it's left a hangover of waste and mismanagement. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/27 "2015-06-27T18:14:38Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The World Cup was a disaster for Brazil… > > [Brazil World Cup Stadiums One Year Later - Business Insider](http://www.businessinsider.com/brazil-world-cup-stadiums-one-year-later-2015-5) > > [http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/11/405955547/brazils-world-cup-legacy-includes-550m-stadium-turned-parking-lot](http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/11/405955547/brazils-world-cup-legacy-includes-550m-stadium-turned-parking-lot) OK. What does that have to do with whether or not infrastructure improvements in Recife will help with Olympics preparation in Rio? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/28 "2015-06-27T19:16:18Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I don’t think there’s been an Olympics in my lifetime that wasn’t preceeded with panicked reports about how the host-city would never be ready in time and that the whole thing was going to be a disaster. True. But I think the real issue isn’t whether a city (or nation) is “ready” for the Olympics, but rather how much damage–social and economic–has to happen for them to pull it off, while giving an impression (on TV) to the rest of the world that everything went “swimmingly.” ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/29 "2015-06-28T09:10:21Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > But in comparison to any other Olympics London was very well prepared, I don’t recall any serious concerns that the venues would not be ready in time. > > In fact…here we go. [A glowing endorsement a year ahead of the games.](http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/jul/25/london-olympics-preparations-ioc-president) Not the infrastructure, but certainly there were concerns about security. From memory security was Romney’s main concern too. > [@madsircool](#): > > Mitt Romney was not a ‘right wing’ Repiblican. I should have put that placed _right wing Republican_ in quotation marks. By UK media & cultural standards Romney was and is a right wing Republican. I was specifically talking of the UK media backlash against Romney. Our media in the UK rarely do nuance when talking of mainstream Republicans in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/30 "2015-06-28T16:20:30Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Not the infrastructure, but certainly there were concerns about security. From memory security was Romney’s main concern too. True, but I think that was far more the fact that people were searching for stuff to worry about and the manning issue was just about the only thing there was. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/31 "2015-06-28T23:04:15Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > I even expect Qatar’s 2022 World Cup to come and go just fine. Maybe the event itself will go fine, but hundreds of workers have died already. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/32 "2015-07-03T17:46:04Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > In scope any WC is bigger than an Olympics. The world stops in footballing countries when the WC is being played. The Olympics are more of a niche event. Comparing the WC with the Olympics is comparing apples and oranges. As was already pointed out, the Olympics all takes place in and around of one city, whereas for the World Cup the necessary infrastructure is spread out over the entire country. And the fact that the Olympics involves multiple sports give it a level of complexity that a single-sport tournament doesn’t have, regardless of the scale. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/33 "2015-07-03T21:26:05Z")
As someone who has had to deal several times with trying to get customer service from Brazilians: It’s Brazil. They won’t even be ready by 3016. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/34 "2015-07-31T14:53:23Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > The water where some events will be held is largely an open sewer, or so I have heard. They have admitted that this cannot be fixed. [Yep.](http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/13343832/2016-rio-olympic-water-poses-serious-health-risks-test-finds) > [@](#): > > An Associated Press investigation found dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from sewage in venues where athletes will compete in the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic water sports. > > In the first independent comprehensive testing for both viruses and bacteria at the Olympic sites, the AP conducted four rounds of tests starting in March. The results have alarmed international experts and dismayed competitors training in Rio, some of whom have already have fallen ill with fevers, vomiting and diarrhea. > > These ailments could knock an athlete out for days, potentially curtailing Olympics dreams and the years of hard training behind them. > > “This is by far the worst water quality we’ve ever seen in our sailing careers,” said Ivan Bulaja, a coach for the Austrian team. > > :snip: > > Water pollution has long plagued Brazil’s urban areas, where most sewage isn’t collected, let alone treated. In Rio, much of the waste runs through open-air ditches to fetid streams and rivers that feed the Olympic water sites and blight the city’s picture postcard beaches. > > :snip: > > Brazilian officials insist the waters will be safe, but the AP testing over five months found not one venue fit for swimming or boating, according to international experts, who say it’s too late for a cleanup. > > :snip: > > Brazilian officials who oversee water quality at the Olympic sites said they are not monitoring for viruses. > > :snip: > > The AP found [an] Olympic site thought to have been largely cleaned up in recent years, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, is among the Games’ most polluted waters. Results ranged from 14 million adenoviruses per liter to 1.7 billion per liter. > > By comparison, water quality experts who monitor beaches in Southern California become alarmed by viral counts spiking to 1,000 per liter. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/35 "2015-07-31T15:25:46Z")
There are plenty of other port cities in Brazil they can move to on short notice. No biggie. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/36 "2015-07-31T15:41:14Z")
I wouldn’t count on that. From the same link: > [@](#): > > IOC not planning venue change despite water pollution concerns > > Dr. Richard Budgett, the medical director for the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee, said local organizers had followed testing procedures established by the World Health Organization that focus on testing for bacteria – but not for viruses. The IOC made no plans to push for venue changes, but said it would continue to monitor water quality tests. > > “We’ve had reassurance from the World Health Organization and others that there is no significant risk of athlete health,” Budgett said. > > “Clearly there are going to be some individuals who have become infected, but it’s a matter of looking at the risk realistically and realizing there are going to be a lot of competitions on these venues,” he said. “We’ve got to hold things in perspective.” ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/37 "2015-07-31T16:30:13Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > There are plenty of other port cities in Brazil they can move to on short notice. No biggie. Are any of those going to have noticably better water quality? Or anything approaching the required infrastructure? > [@Dr. Richard Budgett](#): > > “Clearly there are going to be some individuals who have become infected, but it’s a matter of looking at the risk realistically and realizing there are going to be a lot of competitions on these venues,” he said. “We’ve got to hold things in perspective.” Sounds like he’s basically saying that it’s too much trouble to find another place, and as long as the explosive diarrhea happens off-camera, he doesn’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/38 "2015-07-31T21:14:01Z")
This just in! First world countries have found the Olympics too expensive, wasteful, and counter-productive and no longer fight over them. The people who want the Olympics are backwaters wanting to prove themselves to the world. Backwaters are (often) hell-holes. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481/39 "2015-08-01T14:09:00Z")
I wonder if the waters have been tested for that “brain eating amoeba”? THAT would be a deal killer-imagine-“Olympic Athletes Die From massive Brain Infections”. There is no cure for this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481.md?page=1)