“These were iconic Olympic Games in many respects”, said Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, shrugging off the legion of financial and infrastructure problems which threatened to undermine the showpiece.
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Rio was awarded the right to host first Olympics in South America in 2009 when Brazil had a booming economy. “I speak for everyone here when I say we could not be prouder of Dániel”.
Contentiously, he said of Russian athlete whistleblower Yulia Stepanova, a former doper who helped uncover the state-backed, systematic drug program running in her homeland: “We are not responsible for dangers to which Ms.Stepanova may be exposed”.
“What we know is that he has not been heard by a judge yet and, more so, the presumption of innocence prevails”, Bach told a news conference during the closing weekend of the Rio Games.
He reeled off the feats of Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Japan’s four-time wrestling champion Kaori Icho, American shooter Kim Rhode and her medals from six Games and South African 400m record-breaker Wayde Van Niekerk in a 300-word opening address that featured the words “icon” or “iconic” 17 times.
Off field scandals continued to simmer, with Bach cautioning against a rush to judgment in the case of European Olympic chief Patrick Hickey, jailed in Brazil as authorities investigate a black market Rio Games ticket ring. Beach volleyball on Copacabana, the Sambadrome, the sailing…they are all iconic venues.
But also the new ones, like the Velodrome, ” he said.
Middle East free and pay TV broadcaster BeIN Media Group has formalised its deal with the International Olympic Committee to be the exclusive broadcaster in the MENA region for the next four Olympic Games, starting with the 23 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
He added that it had been good for the Games to see the “social reality” in Rio, a city marked by violent crime and huge wealth disparities. “On the one hand to see what sport can do, but also understand their limitations”. But the country is now in the political crisis and its worst economic recession since the 1930s.
Bach acknowledged the hosts’ efforts. We chose a city that has its problems, which has a reality with many challenges. While beIN Sports are now broadcasting the Rio 2016 Olympic Games through a sub licensing arrangement, today’s signing marks the first ever direct relationship between the beIN Media Group and the IOC.
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Mercifully it couldn’t hold a candle to the Ryan Lochte saga, which grabbed headlines for days and led to court appearances and fines before the U.S. swimmer apologized for inventing a story about an armed mugging after he and three teammates were confronted by a security guard after vandalising a gas station.
