by AlecW on Tue Aug 23, 2016 1:17 pm
I'm afraid it was the same in pretty much every event. Tickets too expensive for the Rio locals to want to pay. Profiteering by the prawn sandwich brigade. It was noticeable that the free (or near-free) events attracted big, enthusiastic crowds (e.g. the Triathlon on Copacabana beach).
A colleague of mine (who was there and who knows of which he talks) said this morning that the Paralympics was going to be a disaster - total apathy from the Brazilians, no money (all spent on the stuff we've been watching for the last 16/17 days), creaking facilities, no sponsorship, you name it. Very, very sad. Given a month or two's notice, I reckon London could put something together...
Lot of stories about poor wiring, plumbing, food and general sanitation in the Olympic Village as well - which is why so many athletes chose to move out.
Still - I enjoyed every minute of it and am now looking forward to getting some sleep!
AlecW