As the world prepares for the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics, the Brazilian government struggles to improve Rio de Janeiro's current social and political turmoil. Rio was selected as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics in October of 2009, but much has happened since then. Whether it be the bacteria infested waters, dangerous streets, or Zika virus, Rio de Janeiro has been called the “perfect storm” for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
First of all, Zika is a virus that was first found in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947. This virus has been considered a pandemic because of its recent ubiquity around the world, including Brazil. Zika has been known to cause microcephaly, the state of being born with a smaller than average head size, in newborn children. This is a result of pregnant women contracting the virus. There have already been two pregnant women in the United States who got abortions because they were experiencing symptoms of the Zika virus. It is very likely that both tourists and athletes coming to Rio for the games will get the Zika virus. However, the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee insist that the games will go on.
The Rio de Janeiro police are currently on strike because they have not been paid in months, and therefore will not be able to protect the tourists and athletes as they pour in for the games. With Brazil being in the top 20 countries for intentional homicide rate, this is when the police are needed the most. However, the drug cartels in Rio are very powerful, which explains the 114 police deaths in 2014. Tourists have been warned not to enter the country because they are jeopardizing their safety, let alone their lives, but the IOC predicts that there will be close to half a million foreigners coming to watch the games.
Lastly, there has been super bacteria detected in the waters of Rio, including Guanabara Bay which has the most bacteria in all of the waters surrounding Rio. Guanabara Bay is where the Olympic sailing will be taking place. German Paralympic Sailor, Heiko Kroger says that his sailing partner contracted a skin infection while training for the Olympics in Rio. His partner blames the bacteria in the water for his skin infection.
Although political, social and environmental turmoil are causing Rio de Janeiro to be a terrible place for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Municipal Tourism Secretary Antonio Pedro Viegas is “waiting for everyone to come so [they] can showcase [their] city”. From the start, the corruption of the Brazilian government makes the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics a recipe for disaster, and the International Olympic Committee should have definitely thought about the political and social situation of Rio before choosing to have the Olympics held there.
