All of the talk about the 2016 Olympics so far has been centered around the fact that the IOC is upset about construction delays. So much so that they're "monitoring the situation." There have also been some people that have suggested the IOC is considering moving the Games. That suggestion isn't just premature. It's stupid. Rest assured, the 2016 Olympics will be in Rio de Janeiro as planned.
There are plenty of reasons why the idea of moving an Olympics only two years out doesn't make any sense. For starters, where would you move them? They choose Olympic host cities seven years in advance for a reason. If they were to take the Games away from Rio, what city would possibly be able to organize and fund an Olympics on such short notice? And I'm not just talking about having available facilities, which is enough of a problem. I'm talking about all the logistics of scheduling, accommodations, security, etc. It takes a lot more than two years to prepare for an Olympics. That's why moving the Rio Games now would be virtually impossible. Even London, which staged those incredible 2012 Games, probably wouldn't be able to do it...and that's the most likely option for a replacement.
Not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars that has already been spent. There are already a number of Brazilians who are unhappy with the costs of both the Olympics and the World Cup. Imagine if the Olympics were to be taken away and all that spending truly became wasteful? Plus, you'd have all these unfinished venues in and around Rio that would just be sitting there. No chance to repurpose them for their post-Games use if they're never used in the first place.
This same thing happened in advance of the 2004 Athens Games. There were similar concerns about construction delays and organizational problems. They even fired the head of the organizing committee. Well you know what? Everything worked out OK, and the Games did return home. Athens has had some major problems since and is still paying for the 2004 Olympics a decade later, but that's a separate issue.
The thing the Brazilians really have to worry about is the World Cup. It's there where we've hit crunch time, and the potential of unfinished stadiums in some of the 12 World Cup host cities are definitely much more of a concern. And a more pressing one. From what it seems, though, all of the World Cup construction now seems to be on or close to schedule, so there shouldn't be any incomplete stadiums once the World Cup begins.
Of course, the final of the World Cup will be held at Rio's world-famous Maracana. Maracana had to be renovated for both events, and the World Cup is two years before the Olympics. Which one do you think they're worried about first? Maracana will host the Opening Ceremony. But they can't begin to turn it into an Olympic venue until the World Cup is over.
And maybe that's the root of all these delays. Maybe the Brazilians want to make sure the World Cup goes off without a hitch before they turn their focus to the Olympics. Let's not forget, this might be the sixth-largest country in the world, but it's still hosting the two biggest sporting events on the planet little more than two years apart. The second of which comes with the added pressure of being the first South American country ever to host the Olympics. They're both huge undertakings. Brazil has the resources to do both. If they didn't think they could, they never would've applied to host the Olympics.
We're still more than two years away from Rio. I'm sure the stadiums will be finished and whatever problems there are will get fixed with plenty of time to spare. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that by the time Pele lights the cauldron, we'll have forgot all about this. And that Rio will deliver a truly glorious Games.
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