Bob Costas spoke about the much-publicized issues with the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics during the Television Critics organization summer press tour on Tuesday.“There are serious issues and that will be a account at the halt of this if [Rio] can surmount those issues and pull of a successful games,” Costas said. He also acknowledged that discussing things like Zika will be inevitable.“Its going to be impossible not to address some of the issues because they will directly intersect with the competition,” he said, and specifically mentioning the condition of the water for the swimming and other water-based events.
Also Read: Will the Olympics afflict 'Suicide Squad' and Other August Movies at Box Office?Costas also said he interviewed the mayor of the Brazilian city hosting the games and that the politician was very candid about the issues facing the summer games. He’s straightforward in acknowledging that these problems exist,” he said.
Costas also said the Rio mayor “never expected the Olympics to solve hundreds of years worth of social problems,” such as concerns over gang activity and sanitation. He also stated several times that concerns over preparedness going into Olympic events is nothing new.
There possess been serious questions over Brazil’s ability to host the Olympics as the country has been hit with a serious economic recession, and as well as the impeachment of the country’s president, Dilma Rousseff.
Also Read: Disney CEO Bob Iger Wants to Bring Olympics to LA in 2024Many athletes possess stated they would be sitting out this year’s games due to concerns over the Zika virus, which can be spread by mosquitoes and cause birth defects.
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Source: thewrap.com