BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro's sports fans are left disappointment as the government fails to display the Olympic Games opening on a big screen set up at a park

Record ID: 331111

  • Title: BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro's sports fans are left disappointment as the government fails to display the Olympic Games opening on a big screen set up at a park
  • Date: 27th July 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF CHILDREN RACING ON TRACKS SET UP IN THE PARK VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING BASKETBALL ON A COURT SET UP IN THE PARK
  • Embargoed: 11th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Communications,Domestic Politics,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9XT5M87DJU3P1K4AQTHK6L5UA
  • Story Text: Many Rio de Janeiro residents said they were skeptical of the city's capacity to host a successful Olympics in four years as London officially opened its Games on Friday (July 27).
    The reason? A big screen set up by the government in one of the city's main parks failed to get a signal as anxious fans sat to watch opening ceremony.
    Failing at this simple task left many people even more doubtful of Brazil's ability to deliver the 2016 Games as it pledged.
    While the city's abundant natural beauties have weighed in its favour, widespread violence and a poor transportation system are still the main concerns for organisers.
    Rio has come under criticism for failing to meet deadlines ahead of the 2014 World Cup which also includes infrastructure projects planned for the Olympics.
    Nonetheless, a recent International Olympic Committee (IOC) progress commission report praised Rio organisers for making "great strides", but also warned them that the clock was ticking.
    The so-called "Live Site" pavilion set up in Rio's Quinta da Boa Vista park is set to display Olympic competitions through August 12 and also includes sports activities for children.
    Raimundo Barroso, an electronics engineer, said the TV signal issues were just a small demonstration of Brazil's lack of organisation.

    "If they didn't manage to display a simple opening ceremony here, I can only imagine what they will do in four years from now," he said.
    Leni Conceicao, who took her granddaughters to watch the opening ceremony at the park, said it was frustrating.

    "What happened to the government's punctuality and commitment? They have announced one thing and everyone came here and all we did was sit and wait," she said.
    Human rights groups have also accused the city's officials of using new highways as an excuse to evict poor communities without paying them proper compensation or offering alternative housing nearby.
    Brazil's officials have repeatedly expressed their confidence that once the baton is handed to Brazil on August 12, the country would prove itself equal to the task of staging the Olympics two years after hosting the World Cup.
    But political scandals, which led to the resignation of former Sports Minister Orlando Silva last year, and worries about the pace of constructing the Rio project had caused the IOC concern.
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