Staying Positive in Preparation for Rio Games

With the 2016 Summer Olympics coming to Rio de Janeiro, it has brought international attention to this Brazilian city. And predictably, it has not gone well. There is plenty in Rio to be critical of.

Polluted water, poisonous bugs, and funding issues are now the headlines. In this era of metric-driven media, the Olympics in Rio is almost as good as Donald Trump running for US President.

But not every country is the Ritz Carleton, and in Brazil, they get on with a life a bit differently than most. It is a laid-back country with laid-back people. And ‘Jeitinho Brasileiro’ – the Brazilian way of doing things – can be unnerving.

The International Olympic Committee just needs to get through to September 18, the closing ceremonies of Paralympic Games. In the face of the current controversies, the IOC has only one option – stay positive.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday (Jan. 27), IOC President Thomas Bach predicted that the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will “overwhelm” the world, despite Brazil’s deep financial crisis.

Bach described Brazil as being in a “situation of crisis,” but said the country was on course to stage “an Olympic Games with a great joy of life and a great passion for sport.”

Since being awarded the games in 2009, Brazil has suffered a serious financial downturn and is currently grappling with an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has caused international health concerns. Plus there is a certain matter of unkept promises about water pollution improvement.

“It is, as you know, six months before the Olympic Games and it is the most difficult time to prepare for games … There is one or the other minor thing to do, and of course it is the same for other countries, and it is the same for the Brazilians,” Bach said.

“But if you consider the circumstances that our Brazilian friends are working under — with their country which is in a situation of crisis — you can only appreciate the great work they are doing for the Olympic Games, and you can look forward to the opening of the stadium and to be overwhelmed by the passion of our Brazilian hosts.”

Keep it up Bach. Only eight more months to go.