More Rio Olympics Weird News Emerges: Free Tickets, Odd Athlete’s Quarters
As the Rio Olympics approach, there have been many strange news headlines, but not all of them are related to the Zika virus or the fact that some of the British royal family refuse to attend because of it.
Instead, on the eve of the Rio Olympics, part of the weird news is that in the Brazilian city where they will be held, “the murder rate has increased by 15 percent and the robbery rate by 30 percent since last year,” according to Gizmodo.
In the meantime, the Chicago Tribune wrote on July 20 that “Rio is getting safer,” according to a first-hand report from a resident of the city and stated the following.
“The murder rate has plunged by more 30 percent in the state of Rio and by almost half in the capital city since 2008, when authorities launched a program to pacify crime hot spots with permanent police outposts.”
Fox Business says safety precautions against terror attacks are being taken seriously by the Rio Olympics security team.
Despite this, Reuters points out on July 24 that, because of all of the weird news, the easiest thing to win at the Rio Olympics is a ticket.
They claim marketing firms are being called in America because there are several offers for an “all-expenses-paid trip to watch the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.”
Other horrifying weird reports about the Rio Olympics include the unsafe Olympic Village. The New York Times writes on July 24 that Olympic athletes are living in quarters that have exposed wiring, leaks, and faulty plumbing.
Of course, arranging housing for numerous athletes at the Rio Olympics is no easy task, and NBC Sports says America has the biggest group, with 555 potential gold-medal winners.
On the other hand, there is other weird news from the Rio Olympics meant to make visitors smile. For example, Israel is in the headlines because of the sports technology they are bringing to the Rio Olympics, according to the Jerusalem Post.
There will also be lots of weird sports at and around the Rio Olympics such as gun shooting, golf, badminton, and a one-of-a-kind BMX stunt area for Olympiads that is being described as a “roller coaster.”
While some of the sports at the Rio Olympics might be weird because they are rarely a part of the Olympic games, some of the commonly-known sports events have also turned strange.
For example, Fox News says golf will be an Olympic event for the first time since 1904, but no “top-tier players” will be attending. Worse, they claim that golf’s future at the Olympics might be in jeopardy because of the lack of interest from top players, and this could mean golf might not get voted to be in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Boxing has also become weird at the Rio Olympics, according to the Bangkok Post, because of the “revolution” in rules used for the event. For instance, pro boxers will be allowed to compete for the first time. One other odd change is that “male fighters will no longer wear head guards,” but the female boxers will still wear them.
For tourists who are feeling left out of all the weird sports, the Rio Olympics web page says that there are five strange local sports tourists can try. Traditions in Rio include unique sports like slack-lining, beach tennis, foot-volley, stand-up paddle, and trail running.
One other piece of positive weird news is that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to ban the entire Russian team from the Rio Olympics after doping concerns were raised.
According to the Washington Post, “No nation had ever been barred from competing at an Olympics for doping.”
[Photo by Leo Correa/AP Images]
