The towering cranes are a fixture in the skyline here, racing to complete the bridges, highways and stadiums that must be knitted together in time for next year’s Summer Olympics.
An economic downturn, labor strife and corruption has also slowed the completion of projects around the city that are already far behind schedule. Organizers are already forced to move the opening water polo matches because the venue won’t be finished in time.
A U.S. diplomat told about 30 Georgia political and business leaders traveling with Gov. Nathan Deal that they may be able to offer Brazil some lessons they learned when Atlanta hosted the Summer Games in 1996.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the government to complete the infrastructure in time,” Michael Yoder, the acting U.S. consul in Rio, told them at a Rio hotel. “Any encouragement you can offer them about your own experience with the Olympics would be great.”
Brazil has also witnessed a constant debate about what will happen to the constellation of stadiums, arenas and other facilities being built once the Games are gone. The government will spend an estimated $30 billion-plus to host both last year’s World Cup and the 2016 Games, and some residents have taken to the streets in nationwide rallies to protest what they see as Brazil’s misguided focus on the mega-events at the expense of new investments in health care and housing.
Atlanta has had its own troubled experience defining its Olympic legacy beyond Centennial Olympic Park, with most of the venues demolished or retrofitted in the two decades since the city’s turn in the international spotlight.
For Georgia, the 2016 Games could bring a different sort of opportunity. Most of the biggest construction contracts have long been decided, but smaller projects will soon be available to U.S. firms.
Mark Russell of the U.S. Commercial Service in Brazil had a word of caution for those considering a foray.
“There’s a saying here: Brazil is not for beginners,” Russell told the delegation. “You have to have knowledge on the ground here. The bureaucracy, the tax structure, the distribution systems are all very different. You really need a local partner to do business.”
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