This year’s host city of Rio de Janeiro marks the first time Latin America has been selected to serve as the “innkeeper” of the games.
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And with the economy in steep decline for the second straight year, Brazilian unemployment has shot up to 10.2 percent and Olympic organizers have had to slash budgets, fueling fears of embarrassing delays.
(Vatican Radio) With less than one hundred days to go, until the start of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s political crisis seems to suggest the current government may not even make the opening ceremony.
During the closing ceremony, both the men and women will wear Ralph Lauren-designed shorts.
“2014 the World Cup was only 32 countries, now we have something like 280 countries, more events, 24 hours per day during the week so of course the challenges are bigger”.
“Despite the promised legacy of a safe city for hosting the Olympic games, killings by the police have been steadily increasing over the past few years in Rio”, Amnesty said in a statement.
A team of South Korean government and Olympic officials visited Rio de Janeiro earlier this month to inspect Olympic venues and local hospitals. The organizing committee received the torch amid the ceremony that included dancers representing the diversity of Brazilian and Greek culture, along with about 30,000 viewers in the stadium.
After a six-day trek across Greece, the flame that was lit last Thursday by the sun’s rays at the birthplace of the Games in Ancient Olympia was presented to the Brazilian organisers.
Rowing World Champion Katerina Nikolaidou of Greece pauses after lighting the cauldron during the handover ceremony for the Olympic Flame at Panathinean stadium in Athens, Wednesday, April 27, 2016. Ricardo Leyser, Brazil’s new sports minister, told the CBC that “Rio is 98 per cent ready”. And she acknowledged the strain.
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The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suspended Russia in November and will not decide on whether Russia can return for Rio until June.
