The Olympics – Bread and Circuses! What remains after Rio 2016 ( a critical view)

What the Olympics teach us every four years:

After two weeks of competition and joy the Olympics in Rio ended last night. The first Olympics in South America... The IOC was afraid of a debacle but it shouldn't be one. The Brazilians worked hard to make the Games secure and organized.  

We saw a lot of thrilling fights for medals but in my opinion there wasn’t a single competition you will remember in a few years. 

Of course Usain Bolt dominated again the 100m, 200m and the relay race with Jamaica, but it was too obvious and no excitement appeared on my side.  It was just a question how big the gap between him and the second fastest runner was.

And sure, the favorites in tennis were eliminated early but after that no one was interested in it anymore.  It always made me sad when cameras showed all those empty stadiums all over the different disciplines. 

Of course there were full ranks, too, e.g. beachvolleyball ;) 

But only in very popular sports like football or handball. The ticket prices were too damn high for most of Rios’ residents.   

So what remains after those Olympics?  

· It is possible to cut out the problems of a country for two weeks and only report about the bright sides of an event. We mostly saw the bright sides of the Olympics: Gold, Silver and Bronze.  

· Rio made huge efforts to cover its problems, e.g. the poor people, crime, waste problems, etc. so it was possible to make some promotion all over the world.  

· Only a few make huge profits (e.g. building company) from the games long term. Most people won’t profit after media and visitors depart.   

Also athletes weren't allowed to leave the camps. No freedom in Rio. Compared to London this was a 'declaration of bankruptcy'.

-->  But on the other side these Olympics also had positive aspects.  

Athletes from different countries forget about the differences their governments have, e.g. North and South Korea, and it is possible for all countries and religions to come together in peace and compete in fair games. 

The Olympics – Bread and Circuses... every four years!

This picture sums it up in my opinion. A huge number of people work their butt off so a few can celebrate two weeks.

At the end of the closing ceremony it was raining heavily. Symbolic... After the Olympics the world leaves Rio in the lurch. Rios' problems stay in Rio. And I am curious if the more than twelve billion dollars (that's how much the costs for Rio were) will come back some day.