Olympic Notes: Brazilian Police Break Up Black-Market Olympic Ticket Ring

Brazilian police broke up a black-market ring that "tried to illegally sell over 700 Olympic tickets at exorbitant prices." Rio's police, with the help of the local Olympic committee, "busted 10 people involved in the scam." Rio 2016 Head of Ticket Sales Donovan Ferreti said that the suspects bought the tickets legally, "then used social media sites in an attempt to illegally resell them" (REUTERS, 4/5).

Rio de Janeiro will stage 12 Olympic test events in the next two months "as the city finalizes preparations for the first Olympic Games in South America." Organizers said that April is the "busiest month of the two-year test event calendar with eight competitions across 10 disciplines." Barra Olympic Park, the main venue cluster, "will host seven events while another two locations will be tested for the first time" (XINHUA, 4/7).