political turmoil and apathy affect 2016 to 100 days of Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO - There are times Brazil is seen as a country able to give great parties, provided that the guests do not bother to come to a house that is still being arranged.

The 100 days of the opening of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a nation known for doing things at the last minute is faced with a new situation: the organization is not the problem, but a serious political crisis and a certain apathy about the Games of August.

"People are not paying attention. Zero," said Julia Michaels, a longtime resident of Rio talking about the city on your blog Rio Real. "No one is saying anything about it because there are many other issues on which to speak."

This time there are few fears that the venues are not ready. The problem is that President Dilma Rousseff is fighting impeachment, the economy is going through its worst recession in decades and Brazilians are at the same time angry and focused on issues far the Olympics.

When Rio de Janeiro won the right to host the Games in 2009, Brazil was one of the darlings of the developing world. The economy grew at a consistent pace for most of that decade, 30 million people were out of poverty and the country assumed a bigger role in the international arena.

But since then he collapsed and the president economy is about to be removed from office.

These issues are dominating the country, and the Olympics has virtually disappeared from the headlines and the television news. In a nation where football is one of the favorite subjects, politics is the only game that has yielded subject.

"Brazil is going through a political crisis, and the situation has yet to be defined," he told Reuters Agatha beach volleyball player. "It is natural that people are focusing on it, but do not think that Brazilians have forgotten the Olympics. I think we just need to solve the political issue and after the attention of the people will return to the sport."

FACILITIES READY

Fortunately for the organizers, the facilities are almost all ready. Only the velodrome, which will not be finalized in time for a test event, and the Olympic Stadium, where the race track is still being seated, are not 100 percent completed. Officials said both will be available well before the opening of the Games, which begin on August 5, to 100 days from Wednesday.

About 35 test events have been held in arenas and stadiums, as well as the beaches and mountains.

But the recession took the last minute cuts. The organizers backed down on plans to install temporary seats at some venues, reduced the number of volunteers and even floated discard plans to provide air conditioning for athletes, which was discarded.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) visited the city this month and declared himself satisfied with the progress, albeit with the proviso that there are "thousands" of details still to be finalized.