Getting your player ready...
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
The Olympic flag is raised during the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony on Friday, August 5, 2016. Much of the performance centered on Brazil's evolution from early indigenous peoples to the colonization of the country by Portugal into the future in which a burgeoning 21st century nation was born.During the lead-up to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, there was some doubt whether Brazil and the host city of Rio de Janeiro could pull them off successfully.
Many issues plagued the city and nation leading up to the Games:
- Because of concerns of the Zika virus, a number of athletes decided to forgo the Olympics, and there were calls to postpone or move the Games.
- Concerns about construction — of Olympic venues and city infrastructure — lingered up to the opening of the Games.
- Testing found alarmingly high levels of viruses and bacteria in water where some sports were to be held.
- Brazil is in the middle of a deep economic recession and there were concerns about whether the country could support the hosting of such a massive event, especially in terms of public safety.
Now that the 2016 Olympics are coming to a close, do you think Brazil and Rio have been successful? Vote in our poll.