Games of XXXI Olympiad vital in our troubled times

When Friday’s opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil are beamed around the world, people will marvel at the coming together of the thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of visitors.

In these troubled times, as terrorism in the name of religion redefines global conflicts, the Olympic ideal of striving to be the best in the spirit of friendship and collegiality has never been more important.

For the next 16 days, the world’s best in the 42 sports disciplines – golf and rugby sevens were added to the Games this year – will compete for the 812 gold, 812 silver and 864 bronze medals. But for the 206 countries participating in the Olympics, it’s also a matter of national pride.

There will be extensive coverage of the Games on NBC broadcast network (its local affiliate is 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner), NBC’s cable outlets and its Internet streaming.

To be sure, Brazil is under immense pressure to prove its detractors wrong, but it would be foolhardy for officials to downplay the concerns of the athletes and visitors.

From the Zika virus epidemic, to the political upheaval, to the high crime rate, to the threat of terrorist attacks and to the environmental concerns over the contaminated waterways of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has been on the defensive for quite some time.

Indeed, just days before the start of the Games, the Associated Press warned that some 1,400 athletes are at risk of getting violently ill in water competitions. The wire service also reported that tourists face potentially serious health risks on the golden beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.

The waterways are filthy as ever, contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria, according to a 16-month-long study commissioned by the AP.

Dr. Valerie Harwood, chairwoman of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida, had this piece of advice for travelers to Rio: “Don’t put your head under water.”

Mosquito repellent

As for the Zika virus, which is now spreading through the United States and countries around the world, athletes and visitors should follow the instructions from public health officials, foremost of which is to liberally apply mosquito repellent and to sleep under a mosquito net.

And, outsiders are warned to stay away from neighborhoods with high rates of Zika infections.

This is the first Olympic Games hosted by a South American country, which is undoubtedly a source a pride for that part of the world.

However, the selection by the International Olympics Committee of a country with a high poverty rate, an unstable central government and enormous social problems has triggered an intense debate among member nations.

The record shows that the promise of riches for the host country is rarely kept. Indeed, the investments made to create the Olympic Village to house the athletes and the numerous sporting venues are losing propositions.

Hence, Brazil is under extraordinary pressure to not only ensure that the 10,500 athletes are well cared for, but that the 380,000 foreign visitors have a positive experience.

After all, tourism is one of Brazil’s main income generators, and if the visitors enjoy themselves and avoid getting sick or being victims of crime, they will return to their homes singing the praises of the South American nation.

On the other hand, if all the warnings about the health and safety of the visitors come true, not even the world-renowned beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana would be able to calm people’s fears.

In 2020, the Summer Olympic Games will be in Tokyo, certainly not a Third World country, but still confronting economic challenges.

Thus the question: Is it time for the IOC to set standards – economic, social and even political – for judging potential host nations?

Of particular interest should be the cost-benefit analysis, especially with regard to a nation’s poor people.

When countries spend billions of dollars on structures that will not be fully utilized after the Games, on housing that most of its citizens will not be able afford and infrastructure that will do little to improve the lives of the masses, leaders should ask themselves if being in the global spotlight for 16 days is worth the cost.