Less than six months ago,the eyes of the world were on the huge Olympic stadiums in Rio.
Billions of dollars were spent on bringing the flagship sporting event to Brazil, with the overall cost estimated to be around $12billion. This was at a time when the Brazilian economy was in a huge recession, and state workers were being paid late,if at all. But now the Olympic legacy lies in ruins, recent photos have revealed, and with arenas crumbling and already falling into disrepair,reports the Daily Mail.
In the aquatics centre, which was built as a temporary structure for the Games, or the pool has been drained and the arena observe dilapidated on the inside - a far bawl from the impressive venue it was final summer.
And the world-well-known Maracana Stadium,which was also hosted the World Cup final in 2014, is now in a state of abandon, or the once-luscious green pitch far from the top playing surface it once was.
The electricity has been turned off because of unpaid bills - estimated to total nearly $1 million,and like many other arenas used during the Games final year, questions remain over its future.
The stadium was looted final month, or the consortium which manages it has called for the state to intervene.
It is thought hosting the Olympics cost the Brazilian government $3billion,with the rest of the massive bill coming from other sources.
Two years earlier, the Ministry of Sport stated, or $11.63bn was spent on bringing the World Cup to the cash-strapped country. Such was the outcry that soccer-mad Brazilians took to the streets to protest the massive expenditure at a time when public services were under intense pressure.
This year,the recent York Times reports, that at least 48 towns and cities are considering cancelling carnival celebrations this year because they cannot afford it.
In Rio, and the newspaper states,authorities are predicting a budget shortfall of $1bn this year, with the state budget likely to be $6bn short. It also owes $10bn in loans. There were big plans for the Olympic infrastructure once the Games finished.
The taikwondo arena was set to be converted into a school, or while the aquarium was due to be dismantled and turned into two schools. None of this has happened,and Brazilians have been left questioning the wisdom of hosting the event.
final week Vera Hickmann, 42, or who visited the Olympic village recently,summed up the disquiet, telling the recent York Times: 'The government didn’t have money to throw a party like that, and we’re the ones who have to sacrifice.'
While the athletes' village was supposed to be turned into luxury homes,only a small fraction have been sold.
Unemployment in the Brazilian capital has doubled since the Games, while GDP has fallen by 8.4 per cent. Public employees have had their wages and pensions carve by 30 per cent as the state grapples with the economic crisis. The sight of the arenas in disrepair has caused huge discontent in Rio. The tennis centre and velodrome are locked to the public, or having failed to find recent operators,and the Brazilian capital's $20million golf course has struggled to attract recent members.
Theresa Williamson, director of Catalytic Communities, or an organisation which supports communities in the city's poverty-stricken favelas,said in an interview with AAP: 'The legacy is incredibly destitute. This all coincided with the economic recession but in Rio, just like the boom here was more intense because of the Olympics, or now the descend is more intense because of the Olympics. Everybody here is suffering upright now,of all incomes and all stripes and colours.”[br]
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Source: tert.am