Usain Bolt is trying to help "red-faced" Rio organizers and the IOC, "by extending a video plea to Brazilians to attend the Games as a worrying 1.2 million tickets remained unsold to events this week," according to David Riccio of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. The world’s best athletes "have been forced to compete in half or near empty stadiums spread across Rio and the Olympic precinct of Barra." With the local economy "in tatters, the price of tickets is believed to be a major contributor to the stark absence of spectators." The threat of the zika virus and security fears "were also raised as reasons for the poor turnout by local volunteers." The dearth of spectators "led Bolt to post a plea to his four million followers on Twitter." He said in an 11-second clip, "Hey this is Usain Bolt. I’m here in Rio to make history. So make sure you buy your tickets and come out and watch, it’s going to be great ... number one." Rio 2016 spokesperson Mario Andrada said that the poor crowds were a "problem and something we have to fix" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 8/10).
