Along with the ongoing water pollution concerns surrounding the 2016 Olympic Games venues in Rio de Janeiro, security is continuing to be an ever-growing worry as well.
An incident reported by Brazilian officials on Sunday, August 16th involved photographers being mugged while covering a test event for the Olympics. A team of photographers on contract to Rio’s city government were covering a road cycling test event when thieves descended upon the group and managed to steal their camera and cell phones. Luckily no one was injured, but the attack involved two armed men on a motorcycle targeting the group of five photographers in Rio’s western Barra de Tijuca neighorhood.
SwimSwam reported on the growing safety and security concerns back in May of this year when a cyclist was stabbed to death while cycling near the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, close to the site in which rowing and canoe sprint events will be held. At the time, that incident marked the second attack in the same district in a matter of weeks and were already in addition to two British sailors being mugged at knifepoint near Copacabana Bay in December 2014.
Addressing security questions, Rio de Janeiro officials say they will employ more than twice the number of security personnel for the 2016 Olympics than London used in 2012, with the total force of law enforcement, private stewards and security guards totaling in the 85,000 people range.
Andrei Augusto Rodrigues, Brazil’s primary source for security news, told reporters this week that “There has never been anything like this in the country and the key word is cooperation.” That may be true, but the ongoing incidents that are reported are certainly not giving prospective spectators and athletes peace of mind in the meantime.
From NYT
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/world/americas/police-killings-brazil-rio.html?referrer=
It could be like the Wild Wild West in Rio next summer
Twice the security force as :London is not enough. Even 5x the security force can’t stop the infamous group muggings, “arrastoes”, in RIo unless they closely guard access out of the favelas, which they won’t do.
Two armed men on a motorcycle. This is too common in Brazil. I have been a victim of the same attack in the country not Rio but another state. It is the same all over Brazil. There is almost no way to defend against it. It happens all the time. brazil cannot stop it.