The list of problems for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio continues to get longer and longer.
The latest blow to the games comes in the form of ticket sales: There are not enough of them. Only half of the allotted tickets for the Olympic events have been sold, according to CNN, and the games are only four months away.
Brazil’s minister of sports, Ricardo Leyser, told Brazilian newspaper Folha that the Brazilian government is considering purchasing tickets itself. They would then distribute those tickets throughout public schools in order to boost attendance.
“There is a perception that the Brazilian population has not yet woken up for the Games. We are going to work energetically on this because it’s still not in people’s heads. We need to sound an alert so that people remember this event and go and buy tickets,” Leyser said.
Leyser also said the government needs to do more to assuage safety concerns for those making the journey to the games. Leyser himself is evidence of major issues within the Brazilian government, as he named the replacement minister of sports following his predecessor’s resignation just days ago.
Brazil has a laundry list of societal issues it must deal with on top of hosting the Olympics, and this is leading to fears that the country will be unable to properly fulfill its hosting duties.
The country’s economy is in the midst of its worst recession in 25 years, and there are massive protests underway calling for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. On top of these concerns, it is unclear if all the necessary facilities will even be finished in time for the games’ start. (However, construction development appears to be on the upswing.)
Brazil is a mess, and with every new emergency, hosting the 2016 Olympics is looking more and more like a doomed proceeding.
[CNN]
