EVER since Barcelona reinvented itself after its Olympic games in 1992, host cities have tried to repeat the success. Most have failed, managing little more than a big—and costly—bash. Eduardo Paes, the smooth-talking mayor of Rio de Janeiro, who will host the next games in August 2016 and oversees the bulk of the preparations, thinks he can do better. “Everybody knows Brazilians can throw a party,” Mr Paes says. The Olympics will show they can also complete big projects “on time and on budget”.
The claim will provoke derision, both among Brazilians and sports fans everywhere. These days the pollution in Guanabara Bay is so bad that Olympic sailors may have to dodge dead dogs. Many of the construction firms responsible for building the games’ venues are caught up in the multi-billion-dollar scandal surrounding Petrobras, the state oil company (see article). The precedent of last summer’s football World Cup is not encouraging. It cost Brazilian taxpayers 21.4 billion reais ($9 billion), a record sum for the...
from The Economist: The Americas http://ift.tt/1HwgaY6
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