Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games-2016 - Coursework Example

The Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games of 2016: A Discussion of Key Challenges and Issues Introduction: The fact of the matter is that the opportunity to host an international sporting event such as the Olympics creates a litany of opportunities and challenges for the host nation. A brief historical review of prior Olympic games underscores many of the challenges that different nations have experienced both before during and after the games themselves. As a function of addressing three core areas of the way in which a nation must integrate with these challenges, the following analysis will be concentric upon economics, environment, and society as a means of analyzing the way in which Brazil can prepare itself for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The case of the Olympic Games, a nation is not only interested in obtaining a degree of profitability, they are also interested in showcasing their nation to the rest of the world and providing these visitors/newcomers with a positive social experience that could encourage them to visit the nation in the future and/or engage with it economically in a way that they might not have before. Further, key environmental issues also exist with respect to planning and executing such an event as the Olympics. Ultimately, the structures and different requirements of these games necessitate that the city landscape must be transformed as a means of providing the crowds and the athletes with the required infrastructure for the games without creating monstrosities that will be an eyesore on the city landscape or have a distinctly negative impact upon the environment for the future. Finally, planners for these games must bear in mind that the economics of the entire endeavor is the underpinning power and constraint that keeps the games confined to realistic goals. Economic: The rationale for discussing the economic constraints and issues first has to do with the fact that the possibility to host such an event would not be able to be engaged if it were not for the requisite amount of funding that is required to host it. Beyond this, a nation such as Brazil must determine a firm budget for the process. For instance, many nations that have hosted the Olympics in the past have crafted a budget only to find themselves experiencing dramatic cost overruns as projects are expanded, completed slowly, or not completed at all and necessitating the further work of engineers and contractors to complete according to planned. Moreover, rather than merely crafting a budget for the games and attempting to adhere to it, Brazil must also analyze the costs of the games with respect to the overall results that they hope to enjoy from them. As has been noted previously within the introduction, the social and economic issues are somewhat overlapping; due to the fact that nations tend to put their respective system forward to the rest of the world as a means of engaging with people, encouraging them to invest within the nation, and promoting their own culture and society. Accordingly, the budget and planning process must engage with whether or not this particular approach will be utilized or whether or not the games are intended as a means of deriving revenue and being profitable. Although each and every nation that host the Olympic Games is interested in deriving a level of profitability, for the most part, nations that host these games find themselves in debt for decades after the Olympics have passed. Another key issue that must be considered is with respect to the long-term viability of these projects. Once again, as the introduction provided a discussion of the ways in which many Olympic villages have subsequently fallen into disrepair and littered many a city center, Brazil must be highly cognizant of this fact as it designs and plans the Olympics of 2016. Beyond merely a level of sustainable infrastructure, a topic which will be discussed at greater depth further in this analysis, such an issue is also relevant due to the fact that the ability to derive revenue and provide a profitable level of infrastructure improvement to the nation is inherently important with respect to the way in which these designs go forward. For instance, a thorough review of existing sporting venues must be accomplished. Whereas many nations fall prey to building all new infrastructure as a means of hosting the Olympic Games, Brazil has a great deal of sporting venues already existing within Rio de Janeiro that could be utilized as a means of conversion for the Olympics sporting events that they would host. This not only saves a great deal of time and money, it also provides for the added benefit of reducing the amount of work that is necessitated for preparing Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympics. Another core economic concern that must be considered is with respect to the overall economic impact that can be had upon the nation’s domestic workforce. Naturally, the projects that have thus far been discussed will require a significant level of investment on the part of Brazil as a means of affecting the necessary infrastructure improvements that have been referenced. However, more importantly than a mere economic discussion of cost is the issue of how these projects will affect domestic skilled labor and service industry professionals. Ultimately, the nation will be specifically interested in building a base of domestic labor that can be utilized at a later date and encouraging the development of skill sets and knowledge that can benefit the economy as a whole. Whereas certain nations in the past have utilized foreign contractors, Brazil must specifically focus upon the degree and extent to which its local resources and workforce can be used in order to affect these projected changes to the city landscape and hospitality industry. By carefully planning the goals of the project and ensuring that the local workforce is engaged at each and every step, the overall economic benefit that the nation is capable of achieving is drastically increased. What many individuals do not understand is the fact that the residual revenues from these games can be felt far beyond merely whether or not the bottom line after the summer games have been hosted is positive or negative. By having a trained workforce that is capable of complicated engineering and hosting the service industry, the nation, as well as the city itself, will be far better suited to integrating with the global and international needs that the city will face in the future. In such a manner, the short term economic goals must also be counted alongside the long term economic realities. Finally, within the economic standpoint, the budgetary process that is previously been discussed must entail three distinct models. The first model is with respect to the best case scenario; engendering the maximum level of expected guest and the overall revenue that could be engendered during the course of a Summer Olympics season. A secondary model would necessarily be of the worst case scenario with the minimum number of expected guests and the lowest amount of money being generated. Finally, the third scenario should be predicated upon the mid range expected revenue and turn out numbers. By factoring in each of these three distinct scenarios, the planners can more effectively match the appropriate level of funding to ensure that the games will not exceed the limitations of budget that have been set forth; based upon expected attendance figures and estimates. Environmental: As has been briefly referenced, the environmental impacts of preparing for the Olympic Games have the potential to be profound. Prior to the past several years, a discussion of sustainable building and the ability to reduce the overall environmental impact of infrastructure improvement has not been a primary focus that planners had engaged upon when deciding whether or not a specific building or set of buildings should be constructed. However, the fact of the matter is that these concerns are nonetheless important and should greatly factor in to the way in which planning for such an event takes place. Firstly, sustainable infrastructure is not only with regard to the actual material that is used to construct a building, it also has a very real and important focus upon the multiple uses that a particular building or structure might serve (De Martin-Silva et al., 2013). Within this particular view, it is absolutely essential that the steering committee and planning functions should attend to the future goals and means of the infrastructure that is built for the Olympic Games. As has been noted in places such as Greece, London, and Atlanta, many of the infrastructure improvements that are engaged as a means of promoting and hosting the Olympic Games fall into disrepair and are not utilized after the games themselves have concluded. Not only is this extraordinarily wasteful with respect to the earth limited resources, it is an affront to the environmental aesthetics of the city itself. Beyond merely not using a sustainable approach to infrastructure, buildings that are no longer utilized will ultimately require destruction and find their compliment parts littering a landfill in the future. As such, the thousands of years that it takes for concrete to dissipate creates a situation in which the long-lasting environmental impacts of poor planning and non-sustainable infrastructure creates a situation that negatively impacts upon the nation and its environment for decades and centuries into the future. Another core concern that must be elaborated upon is with respect to the overall level of waste (both human waste and actual garbage) that will be generated during the games themselves. As prior Olympics have denoted, an influx of millions of people creates a situation in which the existing infrastructure and sanitation systems, under severe stress. As such, a preliminary review and analysis of the expected level of guests and the existing facilities must be conducted prior to a determination of whether or not the city’s sanitation system is sufficient to address the increased burden that will be placed upon it as a result hosting the Olympic Games. Whereas it is oftentimes enticing to forego recycling or other responsible activities during such an event, these issues cannot be forgotten as a result of the fact that the sudden influx of people and the compounding needs that they will place upon the environment make such a consideration even more important than it might normally be. A further consideration that must be made with regard to the environmental impact of these Olympic Games has to do with the overall carbon footprint. Sadly, there is little that Brazil can do to reduce the overall carbon impact of many of the aspects of the game. However, by seeking to utilize sustainable infrastructure solutions, such as transportation systems that run on renewable energy, building material that is cognizant of carbon footprint, and approaches to hospitality that engaged in a diminished impact upon the utilization of resources, the games themselves can promote a level of sustainability that have yet to be demonstrated throughout the globe. By the same token, it must be realized that many aspects of the games cannot improve upon the existing carbon footprint or environmental impact. These include but are not limited to the issue of jet flights to and from Rio de Janeiro. In light of such a realization, it is incumbent upon the planners of this event to engage with the environmental factors that can effect an impact upon and seek to ignore those that cannot be impacted; otherwise a situation would arise in which the planners and construction crews would find themselves faced with too many situations and difficulties to positively impact upon any of them. Social: Thus far, the analysis has been concentric upon discussing and analyzing the economic and environmental issues/challenges that Rio de Janeiro will face in hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. Whereas these issues and challenges are salient and should be considered, there is yet another category that will be discussed within the final and concluding section of this analysis; namely the issue of the social challenges that face Rio de Janeiro in terms of hosting the Olympic Games. As was referenced previously within this analysis, the ultimate economic success of the games is interrelated and dependent upon the manner in which the social challenges that will be elaborated upon below are engaged. One of the core issues that must be addressed is with respect to the existing level of social tension that is exhibited within the race relations of Brazil. A history of colonization and subsequent slavery, both were natives/indigenous peoples as well as for tens of thousands of imported African slaves, has created a history in which racial tension and barriers have seemingly increased throughout the years (Montgomery, 2013). Ultimately, distrust, social mobility, education, and a litany of other factors are all heavily represented with respect to the way in which these different groups interact, intermarry, and relate to one another. This issue of cultural and societal concern is of fundamental importance with respect to hosting the 2016 Olympic Games due to the fact that different groups of people from around the world will necessarily be traveling to Brazil, specifically Rio de Janeiro, and integrating with its many different types of people. Racial discord or an overall lack of engagement between certain groups of people will create a very observable situation that will diminish the overall profitability and success that the Olympic Games might otherwise hope to exhibit. Within such a manner, seeking to address these cultural issues and promote a renewed level of engagement, understanding, and interaction between all stakeholders within the society should be a fundamental and primary approach that the organizers of the games that must consider. By integrating with this issue before seeking to engage a level of participation from society, the overall negative impact this might otherwise portend could be drastically reduced. A fundamental pitfall that many hosting nations fall prey to is attempting to “whitewash” their own society. For instance, prior to the Olympic Games in Greece, teams of police and civil servants were sent out into the city streets as a means of rounding up homeless and prostitutes. A similar approach was made within the Russian Federation prior to and during the Sochi winter Olympics. Although it is necessary for Brazil to present a positive image to the rest of the world, seeking to sanitize their city in an unrealistic manner only reduces the overall charm that the city might otherwise represent. For instance, although it is reasonable to enforce existing laws and sure that all ordinances are followed, moving poor people from sight of the games or otherwise restricting their access to and from the city center is a fundamental violation of inherent human rights and could backfire on the overall ability of Brazil to represent itself as a developing and integral compounded of a globalized and multiracial world. As the entire premise for the Olympic Games is to bring individuals from different parts of the globe and from different cultures together, Brazil faces a very difficult task of representing such a spirit and culture within a city that is so divided; both along the lines of race and the gap that exists between rich and poor. Many times, the differential between race and the gap between rich and poor is one in the same (Gaffney, 2010). However, it must be understood that in order for Brazil to host a successful Olympic Games, this gap must not only be reduced, the cultural feelings of superiority or inferiority that have been instilled within people must be slowly address and ameliorated. In such a manner, rather than merely specifying a certain amount of money with respect to improving the infrastructure of Rio de Janeiro, the government and stakeholders of the Olympic steering committee must also be cognizant of the fact that a certain degree of investment and labor will be required to integrate individuals within the favelas into the society as a whole (McCann, 2013). By showing a key level of commitment with respect to these individuals and seeking to engage them, the level of understanding and tacit group identity can be stilled and work towards. The preceding social analysis that has been conducted has proscribed many levels of engagement and cooperation that should take place as a means of congealing a more closely interrelated society that can host the Olympic Games. However, rather than understanding that the entire world is simply engaged with a few alterations to existing issues, it must also be understood that one of the greatest social challenges that faces Brazil concerns the rampant corruption that exists throughout the country. For instance, even a cursory level of analysis reveals the fact that Brazil’s local and regional government, inclusive of its civil servants and the police forces are widely viewed as some of the most corrupt within South America. Accordingly, “cleaning” this image is not sufficient to encourage individuals to attend the Olympic Games. In order to provide a definitive change, demonstrative action must be taken and represented to the rest of the world as a clear indication that Brazil is attempting all possible ways to reduce the prevalence of corruption that exists within the country. Through such an approach, individuals around the world will come to realize that Brazil has effectively and seriously considered the situation concerning corruption as well as affected proper measures to curtail it. Further, the society of Brazil exhibits a very high level of crime. As a result of this crime, individuals will necessarily be discouraged from attending these games; unless they can be engaged with an understanding that this crime has been reduced and that police forces are doing their jobs. As a means of addressing this social issue, a very demonstrative and active campaign against crime must be initiated and followed by weekly if not daily briefings to requisite press groups as a means of providing metrics for how Brazil is reducing its crime rate and seeking to make the host city of Rio de Janeiro safer for tourists and visitors during the 2016 Olympic Games. Conclusion: From the information that is thus far been presented, it is clear and apparent that a litany of different challenges face the nation of Brazil with respect to its ability to host the 2016 Olympic Games. However, although each of these issues has been discussed at some depth, it must also be understood that the unique situation that faces Rio de Janeiro is not one that has not been experienced by nearly every other nation that has attempted to host the Olympics. Instead, these very same issues are prevalent within almost every major metropolitan area throughout the world. Yet, rather than assuming that a similarity of difficulties exist between all cities and allowing this to discourage the planners from engaging with these problems, they should instead come to the realization of the fact that the ultimate profitability and success of the games relies upon the level and extent to which they are able to address these core challenges in an effective and time constrained manner. Ultimately, a very difficult choice is faced with respect to seeking to minimize costs whereas at the same time maximizing the potential level of revenue, success, and equity that the Olympic Games can put forward. However, utilizing the approaches and suggestions that had been analyzed within this brief discussion, it is the hope of this author that stakeholders will be able to engage these concerns in an effective manner. Whereas it is of course true that not all of these issues can be ameliorated completely, addressing them and allocating some level of resource to diminish the threats and challenges that have been elaborated on will go a long way in making the Olympic Games more successful than others throughout the past. Bibliography De Martin-Silva, R, Calábria-Lopes, M, & Patatas, J 2013, 'Building and sustaining high performance environments: the ‘road’ from London 2012 to Rio 2016', Reflective Practice, 14, 5, pp. 600-608, CINAHL Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 March 2014. Gaffney, C 2010, 'Mega-events and socio-spatial dynamics in Rio de Janeiro, 1919-2016', Journal Of Latin American Geography, 1, p. 7, Project MUSE, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 March 2014. McCann, B 2013, 'Spiking in the Favelas', Dissent (00123846), 60, 4, p. 78, MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 March 2014. Montgomery, A 2013, 'Rio 2016 Olympic pictograms unveiled', Design Week (Online Edition), p. 11, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 March 2014. Read More