#OlimpiadasPraQuem: Olympics for who?

It is estimated Rio de Janeiro will spend roughly $4.6 billion on the 2016 Olympics, exceeding the budget by 51 percent. That’s a lot of cash, especially for a country that is in its second year of economic recession. A lot of the money is paying for roads, mass transit and the Olympic Village. But resources also are being spent to hide parts of the city that Rio doesn’t want the world to see.

Brazilians are blaming the Olympics for mass displacement of the poor. Many are angry Rio needed emergency funding to pull off the Olympics – money critics say should have gone to help the people. Online and off, Brazilian educators, police and others are expressing disdain for the games they say are a distraction to the country’s problems.

There are major security concerns for the athletes and tourists following a strike by Rio’s emergency workers and a recent spike in violent crime. Not to mention a major health crisis – the Zika virus – and a drug-resistant bacteria in the waters around Rio. So who are the real winners and losers of the games, and what’s the point in even having them? Join the conversation at 19:30 GMT.

On this episode of The Stream, we’ll speak to:

Robert Muggah @igarape_org
Research Director, Igarape Institute
igarape.org.br

Theresa Williamson @greencities
Executive Director, Catalytic Communities
catcomm.org/en

Adriana Garcia @drigarcia
Director of Digital Communications, Rio 2016 Olympics Organizing Committee
rio2016.com/en

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