With the 2014 World Cup only one year away , how ready is Brazil ?
Above : The Joao Havelange stadium , now closed indefinitely over structural issues By Duncan Graham , Editor
he Summer Olympics and World cup are two of the largest international sports events . Every few years , countries battle valiantly to win the chance to host one of these competitions . Hosting an international event like one of these is a high honour for a county , but a country hosting both the Summer Olympics and World Cup consecutively is something that has only ever happened four times . Four times until Brazil , that is . For Brazil is now host to both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics . Many see this as a good thing , a way for the country that now has the 7th largest economy , to show that it can be a real player on the international stage . But many others see a storm brewing .
When the International Olympic Committee chose Brazil to host the 2016 Olympics , they were the first to express concerns about the challenge of hosting such large scale events so closely together . Indeed ,
while four other countries have also had such a task , they had it back when events like these were on a much smaller scale and therefore required less resources .
It seems that the IOC ’ s fears have been realised , as a whole string of scandals have brought doubt over Brazil ’ s preparations . The most pressing of examples being the Maracana stadium , which was originally built for the 1950 World Cup . The stadium has recently undergone a costly and lengthy restoration which has left the site in a state of disrepair , all attributed to a rush to have it finished in time . But this stadium ’ s problems are nothing compared to that of the Joao Havelange stadium . Built only six years ago , the stadium was originally intended to hold the athletics in 2016 ; now it has been closed indefinitely over fears of its structural integrity .
The difficulties don ’ t just surround venues . Crime in Brazil has been a focus of much attention . Rio de Janeiro is home to a number of criminal factions that have a hold on the city ’ s security . In 2010 a large scale offensive was undertaken by local police forces along with the Brazilian army to rid the city of drug traffickers . Despite the operation being considered a success , freeing many areas of gang violence , it highlighted some of Rio ’ s security weaknesses that must be addressed .
T h e r e h a v e a l r e a d y b e e n comparisons between Brazil and India ’ s much criticized handling of the 2010 Commonwealth Games , which was labelled as a disaster . But many officials in Brazil feel that the criticisms they face are overstated , much like the anxiety felt before the London Olympics and South African World Cup . It is only fair , then , to save our criticism until these events are over .
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