There is always bursting optimism that hosting the Olympics will provide a boost to the local economy that lasts long after the final medal is handed out and the last spectator heads home.
The hope, of course, is that all the investments in venues and infrastructure pays off with longstanding benefits to the city and its residents.
That desire is especially strong in Rio, hit by a severe economic crisis that has even some of the city’s underground businesses reconsidering how they operate.
The area around Rio is home to more than 300 “love motels” where rooms are rented by the hour and nobody calls you by name.
One such establishment, the Shalimar Hotel, once a booming business charging $265 for three hours of privacy, has fallen on hard times of late. It’s now aiming to be more family-friendly and to attract Olympic tourists.
Gone are the racy pictures on the wall. Gone are the sex toys and the plush carpet.
Staff are now trained to greet guests and get names.
Across the newly rebuilt road from the motel, Vagane Ranson rents and fixes bikes. He says a cycle path built along the highway has already improved his fortunes. Despite the $10-billion price tag, he says no one will convince him these Games are bad for Rio.
That feeling is not universal. Just up the road, a favela – a colourful Rio slum – towers over the street. It’s physical evidence of Rio’s dire economy and evidence, say critics, that the Games will only benefit the rich.
The outcry has grown louder as economists have concluded the Summer Games won’t give Rio an economic boost.
“I don’t think Brazil was the best choice,” says one man. “We have a lot of economical problems, social problems. Maybe this money could be spent on something else.”
With a report from CTV’s Genevieve Beachemin in Rio de Janeiro
