Rio still living on the edge

With just a day to go for the biggest party of the year, the city is yet to embrace Oly spirit

Under the benevolent arms of Christ the Redeemer, Rio is bracing up for challenging times.

It is been a rough ride for this sport-loving nation in recent times and with the Games of the 32nd Olympiad in touching distance, a rush to paper over the cracks in its organisational machinery is apparent at almost every turn.

The Galeao International Airport was a sea of humanity on Tuesday night as more contingents arrived from across the world to swell the numbers already in this city. The welcome party and transport section struggled hard to cope with the torrent.

Brazil, the land of soccer and samba, has hosted big events before, most notably the football World Cup in 2014. But Olympics present an altogether different challenge and the strain has been visible in the build-up phase itself, with the country hit by recession woes.

Disgruntled voices from the nation had travelled the world over, with many segments of the society, including teachers and security personnel not receiving their salaries. The strain, perhaps, was showing up when a brusque, unsmiling lady at the security ushered you through the airport security zone to the aircraft bound for Rio from Sao Paolo.

The Olympic city itself is in the process of being transformed into a microcosm of the world, with people of different nationalities, races and creeds thronging the city nestled between mountains and the sea. The fiesta of sports is just right for a sporting city but Rio, with just two days to go for the opening ceremony seemed reluctant to embrace the Olympic spirit.

Like a runner pegged back by a muscle strain in the last lap, Rio has been pushing hard towards the tape in recent days. Lack of finish is apparent, with construction work still on at many places.

Traffic flow seemed in control with separate Olympic lanes in operation but the transport system for the Olympic family seemed a bit slow to take off. The venues are ready but around the Games Village and Media Village, grumblings echoed as the hosts tackled a host of issues under cloudy skies and occasional drizzle.

The Australians were at the centre of it in the initial days, complaining that their lodgings weren’t fit to stay, pointing out at plumbing and electrical issues. Voices of dissent have been less from other countries but the Indians have had their share of problems as well.

“They don’t seem to be prepared for an event of this magnitude,” said an Indian official. “There are quite a few issues around. Housekeeping is one of them. For four days, our apartments were not cleaned and after we made some noise, it has become pretty prompt. But the food is excellent and there are no complaints on that front,” he said.

Chaos in the build-up isn’t an unfamiliar territory for Olympic hosts. Athens in 2004 was a case in point but they ended up with high marks as the event rolled on. Rio would hope to tread a similar path in the coming weeks as the youth of the world look to give expression to their talent and skills. As they say in Brazil then, bem-vindo, world!