2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro:

The structure of the Olympics games have transformed over the years moving from a celebration of the Nations uniting to now an elaborate mega-event celebrating the magnificent infrastructures built to hold the Olympic games. In relation to the Sport Paradox it is mentioned that there is a human desire to identify with something greater than oneself and for cities their desire is being able to stage a mega sporting event such as the Olympics (Eitzen, 2006). This shift has become more economically significant due to the increase in commercialization of Sports (Malfas et al., 2004). The Olympics and other mega-sporting events are more commonly used as a media event to draw attention to positive impacts and rehabilitation process of their city and how the games have relieved them from ongoing tensions (Tomlinson & Young, 2006).  Although, the Olympic games do provide an opportunity to cities to enhance and revitalize their environment, not every city has the power to host such mega-sporting events.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the central power of the Olympic Movement in which they also hold the power to select the city to stage the Olympics (Malfas et al., 2004). From a process sociology perspective the IOC contain a greater source of “power chances” over the prospective hosting cities (Magurie, 1994).  Once the hosting city has been chosen for example in this case take Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The “power chances” are in flux within Briazilian President Dilma Rousseff, IOC Member in Brazil Bernard Rajzman, and the President of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Nuzman and IOC Coordination Commission Chair, Nawal El Moutawake (Olympic. Org, 2013). This group of names mentioned will all have a dynamic power balance and responsibly to construct and organize a magnificent Summer Olympics in 2016.

The Official Website of the Olympic Movement states, “The Rio 2016 Games will provide the best possible environment for peak performances. Athletes will enjoy world-class facilities, including a superb village, all located in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, in a compact layout for maximum convenience” (Olympic.org, 2013). President of the IOC Thomas Bach who recently visited in Rio stated “The Rio 2016 venues will be a magnificent backdrop for the sporting exploits of the athletes in 2016” (Olympic.org, 2013). President Bach is only referring to Rio’s extravagant sports facilities, the beautiful beaches and lush tropical forests, which will be the most televised during the Olympic games.  And to keep people on the “Olympic high” in reference to being high on opiates, the cities government have been involuntarily relocating the less privileged citizens to provide more land for the over-budgeted stadiums and Olympic attractions (Young, 2014).  In which these acts exploit the desperation to stage a bigger and better Olympic show (Malfas et al., 2004).

With the construction of these large facilities that will hold immense capacities of people, there are short and long-term environmental consequences caused by the staging of a mega-sporting event such as the Summer Olympics. The general yet most concerning environmental consequence that Rio faces now is the ability to reduce the pollution in the waterways. With the force from the cities government to relocated the less privileged into below average living areas, these areas will now contribute even more solid waste due to the confined living space. Nearly 70 percent of Rio's sewage goes untreated, meaning runoff from its many slums and poor neighborhoods drain into waters soon to host some of the world's best athletes (Barchfield, 2013). Around the site of the future Olympic Park the waters glisten of neon green color, which reflects the average fecal pollution rate, is 78 times that of the Brazilian government's "satisfactory" limit — and 195 times the level considered safe in the U.S. (Barchfield, 2013).  Although, in Rio’s Sustainability Management Plan, they plan to resolve this issue of the water contamination by providing only pre-treatment and primary treatment at sewage treatment stations, with a biological oxygen demand (BOD) reduction factor of 30 per cent (p.41). As well as monitoring water quality and implementing oceanographic monitoring of the coastal range, and the municipal government will carry out continuous monitoring of the water quality of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon at five sampling stations and in the canals and rivers connected to the lagoon (Sustainability Management Plan, 2013).

But is that enough?  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, IOC Member in Brazil Bernard Rajzman, the President of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Nuzman and IOC Coordination Commission Chair, Nawal El Moutawake all have the power to appropriately address this concern but do they find it a large enough priority to reduce spending on other infrastructure projects.  Mario Moscatelli, a biologist who oversees the reforestation of mangrove forests along the bay, said he fears that even if the bay is cleaned up, the state will let it deteriorate after the athletes go home (Barchfield, 2013).  In this case those who are in power are bound by the habitus behaviors in such ways that the first priority to hosting a mega event is to provide an even more theatrical and over the top for lack of better words event. With less attention focused on the how their decisions will affect the figurations relationship around them; this shows that they do not hold true value the principles of Olympism. 

In short-term the water contamination will have major effects on the athletes not only during their performance, but also during practice, and their overall health. This issue will also affect those who are spectators of the water sports that are participating in these high-contaminated waters. However, these athletes/ spectators are only going to be around these area for a short duration of time, it those who have to live with the long-term effects of this issue that are the most at risk. And once the games are over those who resided near the staging cities will have to live with the excessive waste that was brought in from this mega –event.

To conclude, to overcome this issue, the frameworks and ideologies behind such mega-sporting events will have to change to focus on the more human development.  However, this recommended solution is far out of reach.  Although, in short terms, it is important to understand the your place during these games and become aware of the hidden issue casted in the shadows. 

References:

Barchfield, J. (2013). The Big Story: Rio Olympic Waterways Full of Trash, Sewage. Associated Press.

Eitzen, D.S  (2006).  Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport (2^nd Ed.).  Oxford, 

            Rowman & Littlefield: Chapter 1

Maguire, J.  (1994). Figurations, power, civilizing processes. In Jarvie, G & Maguire, J (1994).  Sport & Leisure in Social Thought.  London: Routledge. Pp 130-137

Malfas, M. et al. (2004). Impacts of the Olympic Games as Mega-Event. Municipal Engineer. Issue      

             ME3.

Olympic.Org (2014).  http://www.olympic.org/rio-2016-summer-olympics

Sustainability Management Plan. (2013). Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Version 1.

Tomlinson, A.  & Young, C. (2006). National Identity and Global Sports Events:

            Culture, Politics, and Spectacle in the Olympics and the Football World Cup. State University

            of New York Press.

Young, R.  (2014).  Concerns Over Brazil’s Readiness for World Cup and Summer Olympics. Here & 

            Now. Interview.