Rio revs up for Olympic opener in 1 year

Rio de Janeiro hosts South America's first Olympic Games a year from this week and the iconic, contradictory city of sweeping beaches, street crime and joyful music says it's ready to roll.

Thickets of construction cranes rise from dust clouds over western Rio where officials say the Olympic Park and Olympic Village -- part of a nearly $12 billion investment -- are on course to be completed on  schedule.

Deep under Rio's sometimes chaotic streets, crews are also racing to finish an extension of the metro system linking the main sporting venues with the rest of the sprawling metropolis.

And after a tumultuous but ultimately successful staging of the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian leaders believe they can take the even more ambitious Olympics in  stride.

"We're moving forward with a very high level of satisfaction," Sports Minister George Hilton told AFP.

As the first South American host for the world's biggest sporting event -- Mexico City held the first Latin American Olympics in 1968 -- this is a chance for Brazil to shine.

The country is embroiled in political instability and a giant corruption scandal centered on state oil conglomerate Petrobras. But officials hope that from the moment the Olympic Torch is carried into Rio's Maracana stadium for the opening ceremony August 5, 2016, a different Brazil will be on display.

"We aren't just doing a World Cup or Olympic Games for the sport or to show that we are charming or dance the samba well. Everyone knows that already," Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, seen as a possible presidential hopeful for 2018, said.

"The Olympics is to leave a legacy, to change perceptions of the city. We want to show that Brazil is more than Petrobras and organized theft."

- Pollution -

However, behind Rio's postcard-like setting and all the optimistic predictions, huge challenges remain.

On the plus side, Rio is doing far better than during World Cup preparations, which were badly delayed at a similar stage.

But this is still a race against time, with the expensive velodrome in particular causing difficulties.
"There is not a single second to lose," International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said.

The most serious failure so far is horrific pollution in the Bay of Guanabara, the site of sailing and windsurfing events.

Leonardo Gryner, deputy CEO of the Rio2016 organizing committee, told AFP that the original target of reducing pollution by 80 percent is on track.

"The bay will be one of the high points of our Games," he said.

However, a host of independent experts disagree, warning that the bay is flooded around the clock with raw sewage and junk.

Large quantities of floating rubbish, not to mention the stench, graphically support those allegations. Even at Marina da Gloria -- the future Olympic sailing harbor -- raw sewage can be seen pouring into the water from two pipes.

"If things keep up like this, it's going to be an enormous humiliation," Brazilian Olympics sailing hero Torben Grael warned earlier this year.

Bach called the clean-up Brazil's top concern.

- Huge security operation -

Another headache is security in a city where more than three people are murdered daily, part of an estimated national annual toll of 52,000 -- compared to just over 14,000 in 2013 for the United States, which has a population more than 100 million larger.
Officials say they will deploy some 85,000 security personnel, double the number used at the London 2012 Games.

"It will be the biggest integrated operation in the history of our country," Rio's security secretary, Andrei Passos Rodrigues, told journalists.

Brazil has such a low profile in world conflicts that terrorism receives little attention in the national media or discussions of preparations for the Games.

But the 1972 massacre by Palestinians of Israeli athletes in Munich still looms over Olympic history and potential threats by today's terrorists -- including fears over the use of amateur drones -- have greatly multiplied.

Officials say Brazil's security forces are working with counterparts from more than 90 countries to protect against militant plots or cyber attacks.

"Until now, there have been no threats, but we are alert," said Saulo Moura, from the intelligence agency ABIN.

- Turbulent times -

When Rio de Janeiro beat Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo in 2009 to host the 2016 Games the country was riding high on oil revenue and commodities sales to China. Being chosen to stage both the World Cup and Olympics seemed to signal Brazil's step up into the big time.

Those days look distant, with President Dilma Rousseff in political crisis, looming recession and the Petrobras scandal shaking the country's elite.
Ahead of the World Cup Brazil saw massive, sometimes violent anti-government protests. So far, the build-up to the Olympics has been quieter, but discontent is still high.

Rousseff's government has single-digit popularity ratings and a major demonstration has been called for August 16.

Gryner said the Olympics have greater public support because the budget and construction schedule have been respected. "There has not been excessive spending and the public is conscious of this," he said.

According to Gryner, the Olympics will not leave any "white elephants" in the form of useless sporting infrastructure -- one of the criticisms of the World Cup legacy.

He said that the improved transport system in Rio -- not just a metro extension but an express bus line -- will be among "the benefits that can be enjoyed well before 2016."

Bach, the IOC leader, predicted that Brazilians' famous warmth will make up for any other deficiencies.

"I am sure we will all be overwhelmed by the hospitality and the enthusiasm," he said.
Source: AFP