Problems "keep mounting" for the Rio Games, and they show "no signs of abating before the Closing Ceremony" on Sunday, according to Shira Springer of the BOSTON GLOBE. Seven people yesterday afternoon "suffered minor injuries when a rope-mounted camera fell 30 feet into the venue-packed Olympic Park." IOC officials and ROCOG organizers every day "address issues with security, venues, transportation, and ticket sales," but the mounting issues are a "reality they appear eager to deny in some cases and minimize in others." Int'l Center for Sport Security CEO Michael Hershman said, "I understand the IOC and the organizers’ desire to put a good spin on the Games. But if they were more transparent about the problems, it would be a good learning experience and they would come off as more credible" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/16). USA TODAY's Alan Gomez notes the camera that fell was operated by the Olympic Broadcasting Services, an arm of the IOC. ROCOG officials "placed barricades around the crash site at the entrance of Arena Carioca 2, which hosts wrestling and judo" (USA TODAY, 8/16).
PROBLEM CHILD: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Matthew Futterman writes there is a "growing consensus that for all the wonders of this beautiful city, bringing the Olympics here probably wasn’t a great idea." Pools have turned green and security "has been lax." The transportation system "is scattershot," and the venues "seem held together with duct tape and paper clips." There also were "swaths of empty seats at the Olympic Stadium Sunday night for the men’s 100-meter race, often the most sought-after event of any Summer Games" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/16). In DC, Sally Jenkins notes there have been "robberies and snapped cables," but the IOC and ROCOG organizers "are 'confident' that all is safe." There is "rampant theft inside of what are supposed to be restricted venues, but they are 'confident' all is secure." Athletes also have "gotten sick, but they are 'confident' all is healthy." Whatever the topic, there is "always a convenient assurance from officialdom." But in fact, Rio’s street crime "is not nearly as concerning as the visibly sloppy, haphazard security inside the venues" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/16). In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan writes the Rio Games "have been odd at best, dangerous at worst, but it would be Ugly Americanism of the first order to pretend that these problems are unique." Atlanta in '96 held the "worst logistical Olympics ever." Souhan: "What’s different about these Games is the way the 'organizers’' react to problems. These are the 'Don’t Blame It On Rio’ Olympics" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/16).
INDICATIVE OF THE ISSUES: In Miami, Linda Robertson notes the women's 10k open water race yesterday "got off to an unusual start as 26 swimmers waded into the waves." The swimmers typically start on a pontoon, but the floating platform "disappeared over the weekend when its anchor lines broke during high winds." Beachgoers found it "washed ashore at Copacabana, but officials couldn’t repair it and didn’t have a replacement" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/16).
