For Rio de Janeiro to serve as the confluence of athletes from forty-three nations at the Pan-American Games this July, the city needs to address some of its troubling security concerns. Without Denzel Washington's Man on Fire character John Creasy to keep an eye on all the athletes, the police are preparing for the event by training in a virtual city created in a military garrison.
Despite assurances of safety from Rio's mayor, daily gun battles between the police and drug gangs as recent as last week leave serious questions as to the state of affairs on the real streets of the city. In the neighboring Vila Cruzeiro slum, seventeen people have been killed and sixty injured since May 1, according to Reuters. "Meanwhile, the coach of Brazil's volleyball squad [Bernardo Resende] said this week Rio was 'living a war' and he was worried that while the authorities promise to guarantee the safety of athletes, their families may be facing danger in other parts of Rio."
Many suggest that Rio is looking beyond the Games, hoping to gain the confidence of the International Olympic Committee in pursuit of a bid for the 2016 Olympics. In order to exceed expectations, the budget has exceeded its original limitations - going from $225 million to $1.6 billion.
However, that bid hangs in the balance, while the events slated to take place in three weeks must go smoothly for Rio to be a legitimate contender.
No comments:
Post a Comment