Brazil and Rio, one year later

> Corruption and neglect plagues Rio following the Olympic Games

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

e all knew the Brazil Summer

Olympics were going to be bad
for the host country. Endless accounts
of corruption, lax safety regulations,
bad athlete living conditions, and
enormously expensive one-use stadiums
convinced many that this would be
a disaster—if not during the games

Photo by Pilar Olivaries via latincorespondent.com

 

electricity bill unpaid. Despite being a
world-class stadium of great fame and
scale, it has been used for zero soccer
games since the Games ended. On top
of this, any frequenter of downtown
Vancouver will know that large stadiums

themselves, then surely shortly after
for Brazil. But how did it really end up?
How is Rio now? Was it as bad as people
suspected? Sadly, yes.

Brazil was struck by a brutal recession
after the Games; “the worst recession
in decades,” according to an article
from the Independent. The enormous
Macarana Stadium is now completely
unused, neglected, and graffiti’d as Rio
de Janeiro leaves the million-dollar

own city during our Olympics, Rio built
infrastructure to deal with the demands
of a massively popular tourist attraction
suddenly cropping up in the middle of

     
 

Royals Ready and Raring

> Women’s Soccer dreams big after preseason

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

L> year was a fantastic season for

the Douglas College Royals women’s
soccer team. After a tough silver medal
loss to the VIU Mariners, the girls
bounced back at the CCAA National
Championships, capturing the program’s
first medal when they won bronze.

This year, they've got the leprechaun’s

greed in their eyes—double gold.
They stand a good chance of
achieving their goals, or at least one
of them. The Royals are the favourite
to take the PACWEST Gold this year.
With much of their Bronze medal
roster returning from last year, the
team is constantly improving—

which means a lot in this league.

In terms of competition, the Royals
biggest rivals will likely be the VIU
Mariners, or the Langara Falcons. The
Mariners are coming back to the season
without their award-winning head coach.
With a new coach and a new system to
play under, the team could struggle in the
coming year. There is also a chance that
they could flourish under new direction,
though at this point, it’s a toss-up.

of offence and defence.
Unfortunately, it seems that
PACWEST Player of the Year Andrea
Perrotta will be out for an extended
period of time with an undisclosed injury,
however it opens up a position fora
hungry rookie, or even a veteran looking

However, one thing is certain: VIU isa
quality team with solid players. New coach
or not, the team should finish in the top

three, at least.

The Langara Falcons were a fearsome
force early last year before their late season
collapse. They too have a new coach;
one not too unfamiliar to Royals fans.
Langara Falcons legend and former
Royals assistant coach Rae Pelat will
be leading the Falcons. However, the
same concepts apply to them as well. A
new coach means new strategies and
formations. It may just take another
year for the Falcons to truly become a
powerhouse team... or Pelat may just be
the inspiration her team needs to really
contest in the PACWEST.

In relation to the Royals, the
Falcons are still a bit far off. It will all be
sorted out on the September 6, when
the Royals open up their season against
the Falcons.

Mikayla Hamilton is returning
as a striking force, and she is set for a
record-setting third year. Alexa Gazzola
will be backstopping the team as she
returns to finish what she started last
year. Running the midfield will be
Samantha Kell and Michelle Wessa,
who provide the perfect combination

 

require a lot of infrastructure. As with our

their city. Temporary parking spaces,
additional roads, increased bus services,
and other new systems are all extremely
costly to maintain, and Brazil can no
longer afford to do so.

The country hosted both the World
Cup and the Summer Olympic Games in
rapid succession, and both were widely
reported to be rife with corruption and
bribery. Hosting both a Cup and an
Olympics is profitable stuff, for certain
construction companies and any politician
willing to favour them over the law. The
Brazilian Supreme Court has opened
investigations into these accusations
across the stadium, including against
then-mayor Eduardo Paes. Everything
from golf courses to the very subway
system of Rio itself are under investigation
for being related to money funneling and
corruption, and 2016 found Brazil ina
state of political upheaval that continues
today.

The state of the athletes’ hotels and
temporary homes also became infamous,
starting hashtags on Twitter as the
competitors found brown water flowing
from sinks, crumbling walls, and views
of desperate poverty from their windows.
Despite enormous amounts of money
spent to clean up Rio for the Games,
that poverty has only worsened as crime
reached record-breaking levels. The
athlete residences also remain unused and
falling into further disrepair. Olympians
couldn't escape the brutal cost-cutting
measures at home either, as their medals
have already begun to fall apart due to
poorer materials used in their making.

to fight their way back into the starting
u. Even with Perrotta gone, the Royals
have an exciting roster that can compete
on the highest levels. If there was any
team to watch during the PACWEST

Soccer season, this would be the one.

Photo via Douglas College Student Services on Flickr