There has been a ton of controversy surrounding the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. From the venues not being ready to the media village being built on a mass grave, this Rio games are blowing by the Sochi games in terms of controversy.
With the Rio games set to begin Friday (Aug. 5), the infamous Taiwanese Animators took the timely opportunity to make fun of the Games, releasing this video on Aug. 4.
Let’s break down all the controversies and highlights of this video.
Gisele Bundchen:
The Brazilian super model is probably wealthier and more well-known across the world than her husband Tom Brady. In the very first image of the video, and then throughout the entire animation, we see Gisele dragging Tom around on a leash.
This could be a response to a recent Washington Post report that Olympic organizers had to cut a skit involving a black boy robbing Gisele.
“It was a gag that was not funny so we cut it,” filmmaker Fernando Mierelles, who directed the video and is directing the Opening Ceremony, said. “There was nothing that looked like a robbery in the scene except two security guards chasing after a vendor. They are three professional clowns.”
Trash:
The next scene depicts two major issues with trash and violence, but let’s talk about the trash first.
A large pile of trash is animated right into the middle of the scene with the Rio Olympics logo superimposed onto it. Trash has been a major issue, not just on the streets leading up to the games, but also in the waters of Guanabara Bay.
Part of what helped Rio beat out Madrid, Tokyo, and Chicago in 2007 for the 2016 Summer Olympics was the appeal of the Guanabara Bay and the city’s famous beaches. Water sports like sailing and parts of the Triathlon will take place in the Bay, while beach volleyball will be played — you guessed it — right on the beach.
But the major issue is that the water is so dirty from all the trash, some are saying the athletes shouldn’t be allowed to go in the water. Others say if they do go in, don’t breath.
Violence:
One of the major themes throughout the entire animation is violence. Rio has always been a violent city, but with more tourists and athletes then ever before coming to town, that violence could get a lot worse.
Some Australian athletes have already been robbed, which was one of many reasons the country chose to speak out and call Rio a “dangerous place.”
“There were people around but no-one came to their assistance. This is a major concern and the only answer is for the authorities to put extra police and security on the ground now,” Kitty Chiller, Australia’s Olympic team leader said. “We are taking over 400 young athletes to the games, we need to ensure they are protected at all costs.”
Corruption:
The video is very blunt about this issue:
“After years of Brazil-esque preparation and billions of dollars frivolously wasted, Rio is nowhere near ready.”
This quote is also accompanies by three scenes:
1. The famous Christ the Redeemer statue perched alone on its mountain, but instead of standing up, it’s relaxing and appears to be smoking in a recliner chair.
2. Construction workers playing soccer and relaxing in an unfinished venue that is full of garbage.
3. Pictures of two of Brazil’s highest ranking officials, Acting President Michel Temer and nearly impeached President Dilma Rousseff. Both of their pictures are shown accompanied by protesters in Brazilian soccer jerseys who then light the pictures of the politicians on fire.
Athletes’ Housing, Facilities, and Safety:
A couple days ago, Andrew Bogut sent one tweet that perfectly described this issue in Rio.
https://twitter.com/andrewbogut/status/760306520039026688
The animated video then capitalized on that by first showing an animated Kevin Durant and Pelé getting attacked and held at gunpoint.
Later on, Durant is shown dealing with several issues including the collapse of the basketball arena, having to play against a Panda (?), and getting electrocuted and injured while living in the athlete’s housing.
There were many other controversies hit on in the video, yet others the Taiwanese Animators didn’t even touch on. Maybe two minutes just wasn’t enough to cover everything. However, one thing is certain, the animation perfectly described why Rio is unfit to host the Games and why this Olympics could be even worse for the future of the Games than Sochi.
