The Rio Olympics are such a mess that the focus is not on its athletes or games but solely on its troubles. We’re basically waiting for the day when the whole endeavor crashes, meaning that the newest Olympic spectator sport could be cliff diving.
The latest blotch on these botched Games is the suspension of the laboratory that was to oversee drug testing in Rio De Janeiro. The World Anti-Doping Agency said Friday that the lab did not meet international standards. If there is one thing the Olympics are known for, it is drug testing – or at least its inability to stay ahead of cheaters. So for WADA to essentially say that Rio can’t even bring in the right weapons to fight a losing battle is a complete embarrassment. And no surprise whatsoever.
Brazil’s president has been impeached in a graft scandal. Its economy is a mess, and one top official has said of the state that includes Rio de Janeiro, “We are nearing a total collapse.’’ The Zika virus outbreak is centered in Brazil.
But don’t worry about security if you’re a visitor, preferably a white one. Brazilian police will be brought in to protect people coming in for the Games. That means fewer police for the outlying areas.
“If you are young, unemployed, male and black, and if you come from a low-income area … the Olympics are going to be very bad news for you,” Robert Muggah, head of research at a Rio-based security think tank, told the International Business Times. “If you are white, middle class or wealthy, and you’re a foreigner, you’re probably going be as safe as you are in a Northeastern city in the United States.”
What a relief!
The International Olympic Committee should have pulled out of Rio a long time ago, but with the Games scheduled to start Aug. 5, this show will have to go on. And we’ll watch with a dark fascination normally reserved for watching footage of a tornado about to hit a mobile home. Wait, could that be an Olympic sport?
