Rio has much to do in year before Olympics
RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro conjures clear images of sun, samba and soccer. Organizers of the Olympics that start a year from now hope that’s what people remember after the Games — not images of polluted water, inefficient transportation and incomplete venues.
The Rio Olympics, which start Aug. 5, 2016, follow last year’s World Cup, which ended with mixed results.
A year of protests over lavish spending on soccer stadiums dissolved once the World Cup started. Fans from around the world embraced Brazil, and the stadiums looked ready enough on television even if many were still incomplete. Several have become underused “white elephants” that cost local governments millions to maintain.