Looking forward to the Olympic Games
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 19 Sep 2015
Two yeas ago, Brazil, a country known where "everything is delayed," nevertheless, successfully hosted the 2014 World Cup of Soccer despite encountering numerous problems like activists protesting the costs of it staging.
Barely a year from now, the country where everything is beyond its budget, will again be playing host to a much, much bigger event -- the Summer Olympic Games -- where the finest athletes from 206 countries, 10,500 of them, will be vying for honors in 42 sports over 17 days from august 5 to 25.
Right after, the Paralympics will see 4,350 ahletes from 176 coutries will compete in 23 sports.
As in the 2014 Soccer World Cup, many are seeing the cramming the schedule of the needed infrastructure fearful that the City of Rio de Janeiro might end up short of completing those requirements.
But if Rio Mayor Edardo Paes is to be believed, everything is on track and the still ebbing constructed Olympic Park and all competition venues and other necessities will be ready when the the world's greatest sports show raises its curtains on August, 2016.
"All the construction work is on schedule," Paes assured during the meeting of chiefs of mission held three weeks ago attended by Philippine Olympic Committee vice president Joey Romasanta.
Romasanta himself attested during a phone patch interview with the Tropang Bistag-Balitang SCOOP radio program aired over Eagle Broadcasting's DZEC last Thursday that the huge Olympic Park is so far 82 percent ready.
"We were made to make an ocular inspection of all the constructions going on, including the Olympic Village where athletes, including ours, will be billeted, which, according to them is 89 percent completed," Romasanta told this writer, the program host along with Hero Robregado.
"Well, there are still stadiums na kung titingnan mo ay puro bakal pa and venues na ginagawa pa, but as the Mayor promised, matatapos lahat at walang magiging problema," the national deleation's chef de mission added.
"As in the words of Mayor Paes, the coming Olympics will show the world a new Brazil," he said.
"There will be a legacy to create in this country a culture that things can be done on time," Romasanta quoted Paes as saying.
Even International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach, who recently visited Rio, praised the way preparations are going on.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, for his part, vowed to "delight" the world with his country's hosting of the epic event.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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