An Irishman in Rio: It’s disappointing that it was a ‘white’ Olympics

The Olympics are in town! Having already seen the World Cup in Brazil, I have to admit that I was not prepared for the impact of the Olympics, the sheer size of everything, how much is involved.

I live near Lagoa where the rowing was held. For years I have jogged round it, gone there with my family for walks, or eaten in some of the restaurants around it. Now, in addition to the rowing stadium itself, a huge amount of the park around Lagoa is covered in tents and temporary buildings, while a large crane stands in one corner, supporting two cables running across the lagoon. All very impressive. All over the city centre and Zona Sul the hospitality houses of various countries have sprung up. Many of these are in private clubs or buildings, though the British one has taken over a very popular park near me, effectively baring the public from using it. The Swiss one is in Lagoa itself, and seems to be aimed at children. However, there is no way I would stand with my little daughter in the very long queue (of mainly white Brazilians) to get in.

Nearby is the Dutch one, from the photos it seems popular, but they are charging €45 (yes euro!) Their target public must be the rich party-going set. However, the Olympics also have had a less material impact on the city. Part of this is negative.

Like in Ireland, advance planning in Rio de Janeiro is not always done as properly as it should be. Several months ago, the day of the opening ceremony (a Friday) was declared a bank holiday in Rio (to avoid traffic chaos). However, on the Monday before the ceremony, the Mayor, suddenly realising that the Olympic torch passing through the city would mess up the traffic, decided that the Thursday would be a bank holiday. After years of preparation and enormous amounts of money spent, businesses and workers were given 48 hours’ notice of a bank holiday!

At the same time, Brazil is going through a political and economic crisis. The president, Dilma Rousseff, is on the verge of being overthrown, in what many say is a new form of coup. Naturally this has had an impact on the Olympics – but one that can be entertaining at times.

On the morning of the opening ceremony there was a large protest in Copacabana, mostly ignored by the Brazilian media. By Irish standards, this was a very strange political demonstration. Large groups of people wandered around with all sorts of banners – Psychologists Against the Coup, the Homeless Workers’ Movement, and my favourite, the Botafogo Supporters Against the Coup. Botafogo is one of Rio’s four traditional football clubs. As well as banners, balloons, fancy dress, and lots of shouting, everyone was drinking beer. Street vendors were everywhere with their cold beer, one of them even told me he sells much more at the left-wing protests.

Despite all the drinking, there was no trouble. The police were restraining themselves. With considerable ingenuity the protests have continued during the games. My Facebook feeds are full of photos and videos of people at Olympic events with posters and banners against the unpopular interim Brazilian president, Michel Temer. Initially police and security guards confiscated the posters, and even threw people out for shouting the slogan "Fora Temer" (Down with Temer). However, to the annoyance of the organisers, the Brazilian courts gave people the right to protest, which many are taking advantage of in the good-humoured Brazilian manner.

For me, it has been very disappointing that the games are very much a white Olympics (in terms of spectators not athletes). Both my children are adopted and are black, so this is a point dear to me. Rio is a racially mixed city. In the last census almost 50 per cent of locals declared themselves to be non-white. It is also a city with a large social divide, with extreme wealth and poverty. Indeed, the colour and social divide overlap to a considerable extent. Unfortunately, the Olympics appears to reflect this.

It feels that the games are taking place in a bubble, inside of which is a perfect city, while outside the problems remain the same. Brazilian spectators are largely white and well-off. Ticket prices, transport, and the economic crisis have put off many from going. Could the organisers have addressed this? I believe so – and they could have filled some of the many empty seats. Unfortunately, they did not do so, and it is a lost opportunity. In the favela of Mangueira on the night of the opening ceremony, a group of young poor black kids watched the fireworks exploding over Maracana, excluded from the ceremony and the Olympic dream of Brazil. An image of them that was circulated on Facebook may well become an iconic photograph of the Rio Olympics, as it illustrates the contrasts of the Olympics and of Brazil itself.

Eoin O’Neill moved to Rio 23 years ago, where he did a doctorate in sociology and a post-doctorate in history. He lives there with his family and works as a translator, teacher and researcher.