Buildings have been abandoned, swimming pools are empty, garbage and broken sports equipment can be seen in the Rio Olympic Arena, which last August hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Close to US$ 2.3 billion were spent on those facilities, which are now in a state of ruin.
After the international sports festival ended, the Brazilian government promised to maintain and fund seven of the nine Olympic venues, including the Rio Olympic Arena, the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, Carioca Arena 1 and 2, as well as the tennis courts.
The Olympic Velodrome was planned to be dismantled, but nothing has been done so far. Moreover, authorities planned to turn some of the venues into public schools, but nothing has happened till now.
The Olympic Village encompassing several blocks of 30-story building also resembles a desert. Due to an economic crisis in Brazil, no one can afford to buy an apartment there.
Renato Cinco, a local lawmaker from the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), commented on the dire state of the Olympic facilities in Rio:
“Since the day Rio was chosen to host the Olympic Games we were critical of the situation. First of all, we insisted that the port area should be reconstructed and modernized. I was among those calling to host the games in there. But almost nothing was done to improve that area,” Cinco said.
According to him, the authorities decided to “speculate on real estate” and relied on an “unviable economic project.”
“They decided that there would be two axis of urban development in Rio, the first one in the port district and the other in the western part of the city. This was a mistake. At the time, their decision was actively criticized by the labor union of architects,” the lawmaker said.
Moreover, according to Cinco, the authorities picked up the wrong way they used and maintained of venues after the games.
“They placed bets on luxurious apartments, instead of low-budget or middle-range ones,” he said.
According to Cinco, the authorities acted in the interests of construction companies which build real estate in unprofitable areas on the coast, instead of rebuilding other areas where demand for apartments is expected to grow in the coming years.
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