With four months to go until the Rio Games, there is a "searing honesty" inside Rio's Olympic HQ as organizers accept that their Olympics will "lack the attention to detail apparent" in London in '12, according to Alyson Judd of the LONDON TIMES. Rio organizers "accept that there will be limited impact on attitudes towards disability," and they also "accept that the Zika virus is 'an uninvited guest' that they cannot airbrush out of the picture." The organizers "insist that all venues will be ready, that all tickets will be sold and that the crucial rail link will be complete." Judd noted the London Games have "taken on almost mythical status in Rio." They are "mentioned at every meeting" held by the Rio Organizing Committee (ROCOG) and could have "lowered morale and created a defeatist culture." Instead, Brazilians have "had to accept they cannot compete" with London so they will be able to "plough on and make sure their city is ready." ROCOG Exec Dir of Communications Mario Andrada said, "There are lessons in London that we cannot even think about. ... We hope our volunteers have [learned] from London volunteers and we would be delighted if they can perform on that level but it is like putting someone who has never run the 100 meters against Usain Bolt." Judd noted the vast majority of venue construction "is complete and budget cuts cannot" affect Rio's key sites. However, Brazil's financial crisis could "impinge upon how well the Games are policed." It is then "difficult even to address the issue of legacy," as the Rio Games will "require perspective" (LONDON TIMES, 3/28).
