Brazil Olympic Games Face Great Issues

As the year turns to 2012, Brazil is now on the clock to complete the many renovations and constructions needed to make Rio de Janeiro one of the best Olympic venues in the modern era. The plans have been grandiose and the Brazilian economy continues to be on the upswing, all things seem to be online and in time. Unfortunately, many hidden issues have started to crop up that threatens not only the safety of the Games but of the Brazilian nation as well.

The following are the major issues regarding the preparations being undertaken by the Brazilian government for the Olympics and other major sporting events being hosted by the South American giant.

Schedule of constructions. This is one of the major issues regarding the hosting of not only the Olympics in 2016 but for the World Cup of 2014. Many of the public works programs have started late and are way behind schedule. Because of the late start, many of the venues are often haphazardly done to complete the structure in time. Ultimately, the quality and the safety of the venues come into question because of the many short cuts undertaken by the contractors and builders to comply with the set schedule regardless of delay.

Poor Quality. The problem of delayed construction is further exacerbated by the shoddy workmanship and low quality materials used for the venues. It is very well known that Brazilian public works projects reek of kickbacks and cronyism. Many watchdogs decry the corruption endemic in past projects. While there are a few high profile politicians that refuse and correct the corruption, the low level administrators are the ones receiving the payoffs and kickbacks for the project. The contractors in turn use substandard materials and make many short cuts to keep costs within the profit margins after the kickback and actual expenses. These include low standard rebars and other cost cutting measures that end up having a high cost low quality venue for the world to see when the Games commence.

Evictions. Because of the high population of poor and underprivileged Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro and other Olympic venues, the government has undertaken a policy of eviction and removal of these "eyesores". This has resulted in widespread displacement of individuals and families in cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Recife, Natal and Fortaleza. This program has resulted in human rights violations such as the lack of sufficient time to move or access to alternatives. Many removals did not even have adequate plans for relocation such as infrastructure, services and substinence means in the new sites.