Rio 2016

The build-up to every Olympics that I remember, have always been filled with doubts and controversies, mostly revolving around whether the host would be ready in time.  Rio 2016 certainly have its share of doubts and controversies.  The economic and political climate is significantly different than when Rio won the right to host the Olympics; the country is in recession and a severe political crisis with the upcoming impeachment trial of president Dilma Rouseff.  Could the Rio 2016 Olympics be successful?

With this backdrop, the were more doubts than usual about the preparedness of Rio for the games and many Brazilians didn’t want the games, at best you could say that people were apathetic towards the games.  Over time, the controversies mounted: the zika virus, the killing of a jaguar, the harassment of a rare river dolphin, police going unpaid in the city, pollution in Guanabara Bay (the location of the sailing events) and the constant threat of violence and crimes.

The foreign media were filled with doom and gloom any time the Olympics were mentioned, the people in Brazil didn’t seem to show any interest, it was only in the constant advertisements for SporTV’s coverage that I saw any enthusiasm!  But things changed once the games began.  The football started before the opening ceremony and people started to take note – football is, after all, the most popular sport in the country!  Then came the opening ceremony, impressing most with beautiful depictions of the native Indians, the arrival of European, Middle Eastern and Japanese immigrants and moving on to the musical cultures of Brazil.  The event didn’t escape criticism though.  The arrival of European immigrants was represented only by Portuguese, the original colonists, with no reference to the immigration from Italy, Germany, Poland, Ukraine – which each had very strong influences on the culture of different parts of Brazil.  There was also a feeling that other regions were ignored, with a passing reference to the Northeast, but no mention of the South, Centre or West of the country.  Although the games are hosted by one city, that city is essentially representing the rest of the country – something that was accomplished very well in the London 2012 opening ceremony (even if some of the humour might have been lost on people from outside the UK!)  Even some residents of Rio de Janeiro complained that the music only represented the culture of one part of the city!

Despite the criticisms, the majority of Brazilians were impressed with the opening ceremony and set the attitude for the rest of the games.  From that point, the games were always on tv at home, in the gym, people were talking about their favourite sports and players.  The female football team were widely praised for their strong start to the tournament, compared to the men’s team, who failed to impress in their first two games, with 0-0 draws against South Africa and Iraq.  Sporting events were filled with excited spectators; even the sports that are not traditionally popular in Brazil.

The downside were stories in foreign media complaining about the noise from the fans and booing.  In several events, umpires repeatedly pleaded for quiet from the spectators and many people complained about Brazilian fans booing, accusing them of bad sportsmanship.  This, however is a misunderstanding of the culture here.  In Europe and North America, booing is usually seen as bad sportsmanship and usually happens if a player is seen to have cheated or played unfairly.  In Brazil though, it’s part of the event.  It is probably traceable to football, as the most popular sport, where the fans cheer for their team and boo the other team, in much the same way as they sing songs that mock (and in many cases swear at) their rivals.  This last part isn’t too different to the football songs I’ve heard elsewhere.  But the main thing is that after the event, they still cheer the other team, even if they beat Brazil.  Brazilians tend to be very happy and excitable; they can be loud, but not aggressive – on the contrary, they are very friendly and open people, and at times, very emotional!  Don’t let the booing convince you otherwise – it is simply part of supporting their team.

A good example of this was the men’s football final between Germany and Brazil.  A lot was made of this match as the 7-1 defeat to Germany in the 2014 world cup semi-final was still fresh in many people’s minds. During the match, the Brazilian team was cheered, when Germany had the ball, the fans booed.  The atmosphere was tense, there was a lot at stake and the fans made themselves heard!  But after the match, the Germans were cheered as they applauded the fans, as they returned to the pitch and as they received their medals.  There was no bad sportsmanship in evidence and no feeling of having “avenged” the world cup defeat; the fans were ecstatic that Brazil won their first ever gold medal for football!  Another example was after the men’s volleyball final; an Italian player was brought to tears as the crowd chanted “Italia!  Italia!”

Personally, I don’t like booing, it doesn’t feel right to me.  But I can recognise that there is a cultural difference here, so there is no need to condemn it.  What did disappoint me, though, was fans continuing to chant and sing during the German national anthem.  To me, that is extremely disrespectful, but thankfully something that is not common here – I think it was a minority that did this, although I can’t be certain.  Certainly not enough to tar the entire country with the same brush of bad sportsmanship.

Frevo, a traditional dance from the state of Pernambuco

Like the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony was by and large a success.  It was another chance to show off the culture of the country and this time, it went far wider than Rio.  There was a tribute to Carmen Miranda, Brazilian art, choro, frevo, carnaval music and closing with a Rio carnaval-style procession.  Unlike the formality of the opening ceremony, the athletes all entered together in any order, forming small groups and generally mixing up the nationalities.  The only thing missing, again, was any reference to the culture of the South or West of the country.  Many arguments broke out across social media over this topic, with people from the south complaining about the lack of their culture in the ceremony and others claiming that the Afro-Brazilian culture of the Northeast is somehow stronger than the more European-influenced culture of the South – more extreme responses claiming that those criticising the lack of southern presence were being racist!  This argument is very far-fetched as the majority of people I have spoken to generally enjoyed the ceremony and displays of Northeastern culture – they simply hoped to see some representation of the South as well. 

As the arguments fade away and Brazil returns to normal life, the Olympics are rapidly becoming a memory.  Brazilians are rightly proud of the accomplishments of all Brazilian athletes, however football is always foremost in their minds.  Within a day of the closing ceremony, changes to the national team (seleção) were announced, with the inclusion of many players from the successful Olympic team, including Weverton, the goalkeeper from Atlético Paranaense (my Brazilian team), that saved that crucial penalty.  The seleção will once again have the weight of expectations on their shoulders for the next international competition.

Weverton's save which helped to secure Brazil's win

It didn’t take long before the international media began to question whether the Olympics were truly a success.  In sporting terms, the athletes were indeed successful, with several medals won and approximately half the world’s population actively engaged with media of some kind.  But there were criticisms away from the sports.  An article from the BBC cited muggings, the now infamous Ryan Lochte story and an arrested IOC official amongst the problems.  The latter two can hardly be blamed on Rio or the organisers, while in the former case, Rio is known to be a violent city and apart from one high profile incident involving a Jiu-jitsu champion from New Zealand (just prior to the games), there appear to have been few reported problems.  There were issues with unsold tickets (the average price for a daily ticket was equivalent to half a week’s wage for a typical worker from a favela), the diving pool embarrassingly turned green and long queues slowed down access to some events, there were transport problems for getting between venues, but the reality is that major events rarely take place without problems. 

The positive effects of hosting the games cannot be ignored.  People were introduced to sports that are not traditionally popular in Brazil or South America and may now be inspired to have a go, others will be inspired by seeing local athletes win medals and see that they could do the same – the success in judo will surely lead to an increase in attendance at judo clubs throughout the country.  In addition to the sports, the rest of the world was introduced to Brazilian culture in a way that is not usually seen outside of South America.  Maybe when people think about Brazil, they’ll think beyond football, beaches, rainforests and the zika virus, but remember the various traditional dances, brides-to-be chanting “BBC, BBC” and a modern country capable of hosting the biggest events on the world stage.  Was Rio 2016 a success?  Despite its problems and occasional setback, I think that yes, it was a success.