[SIZE=6]Brazil’s $12 billion Olympic legacy lies in ruins: Five months after the Rio Games, stadiums are crumbling as cash-strapped nation is left with crippling debts[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Shocking pictures show arenas used during the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year in disrepair[/li][li]An estimated $12billion was spent on the Games, with nearly the same being spent on the 2014 World Cup[/li][li]Brazil is facing a huge economic crisis, with public sector workers going unpaid and facing wage cuts[/li][li]There is a growing anger in Brazil over the amount spent on the sporting events at a time of recession [/li][/ul]
By [U]Dave Burke For Mailonline[/U]
Less than six months ago, the eyes of the world were on the huge Olympic stadiums in [U]Rio[/U].
Billions of dollars were spent on bringing the flagship sporting event to [U]Brazil[/U], with the overall cost estimated to be around $12billion. This was at a time when the Brazilian economy was in a huge recession, and state workers were being paid late, if at all.
But now the Olympic legacy lies in ruins, new photos have revealed, with arenas crumbling and already falling into disrepair.
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The aquatics stadium, used for last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, is currently in a state of disrepair. It was set to be dismantled and turned into two schools, but there is no sign of this coming to fruition
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The threadbare pitch of the world-famous Maracana Stadium is a far cry from the days when it hosted the World Cup final and fixtures in last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games
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Contrast: This was the scene in Brazil’s Maracana stadium just months ago as the Olympics got underway with a spectacular fireworks display
In the aquatics centre, which was built as a temporary structure for the Games, the pool has been drained and the arena look dilapidated on the inside - a far cry from the impressive venue it was last summer.
And the world-famous Maracana Stadium, which was also hosted the World Cup final in 2014, is now in a state of abandon, the once-luscious green pitch far from the top playing surface it once was.
The electricity has been turned off because of unpaid bills - estimated to total nearly $1 million, and like many other arenas used during the Games last year, questions remain over its future. The stadium was looted last month, and the consortium which manages it has called for the state to intervene.
It is thought hosting the Olympics cost the Brazilian government $3billion, with the rest of the massive bill coming from other sources.
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Sad legacy: The Olympic Aquatics Centre in Rio de Janeiro, which was set to be converted into two schools
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It remains unclear what will happen to the buildings erected for the Games, with increasing unrest about the amount spent on the Games and the 2014 World Cup
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Tapestries fixed to the outside of the aquatic centre in Rio, used for the Games, are falling down and the Olympic Park is now a cutting-edge ghost town
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In its heydey, the Aquatics Centre, pictured last year, hosted events featuring some of the world’s best known athletes
Two years earlier, the Ministry of Sport stated, $11.63billion was spent on bringing the World Cup to the cash-strapped country. Such was the outcry that soccer-mad Brazilians took to the streets to protest the massive expenditure at a time when public services were under intense pressure.
This year, the New York Times reports, that at least 48 towns and cities are considering cancelling carnival celebrations this year because they cannot afford it.
In Rio, the newspaper states, authorities are predicting a budget shortfall of $1billion this year, with the state budget likely to be $6billion short. It also owes $10billion in loans.
There were big plans for the Olympic infrastructure once the Games finished.
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Abandoned prefabricated houses remain next to the Olympic golf course, created and used for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and now run by the Brazilian Golf Confederation for the public
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Stunning: In July, aerial pictures showed the lush green fairways of Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic golf course
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In August there were scenes of jubilation as Justin Rose of Great Britain, won the gold medal during the final round of the men’s golf event
The taikwondo arena was set to be converted into a school, while the aquarium was due to be dismantled and turned into two schools. None of this has happened, and Brazilians have been left questioning the wisdom of hosting the event.
Last week Vera Hickmann, 42, who visited the Olympic village recently, summed up the disquiet, telling the [U]New York Times[/U]: ‘The government didn’t have money to throw a party like that, and we’re the ones who have to sacrifice.’
While the athletes’ village was supposed to be turned into luxury homes, only a small fraction have been sold.
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A huge pile of seats, which have been torn up from the stands, inside the Maracana stadium in Rio, which hosted the 2014 World Cup final
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Ripped seats in the dugouts at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro this month, where the stadium has fallen into disrepair
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The crumbling inside of the Maracana stadium is a shocking indictment of the legacy of the huge sporting events Rio has hosted in the past three years
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Flash back: On August 5, the stadium was alive with lights, confetti and fireworks as the Olympic games got underway
Unemployment in the Brazilian capital has doubled since the Games, while GDP has fallen by 8.4 per cent.
Public employees have had their wages and pensions cut by 30 per cent as the state grapples with the economic crisis.
The sight of the arenas in disrepair has caused huge discontent in Rio. The tennis centre and velodrome are locked to the public, having failed to find new operators, and the Brazilian capital’s $20million golf course has struggled to attract new members.
Theresa Williamson, director of Catalytic Communities, an organisation which supports communities in the city’s poverty-stricken favelas, said in an interview with AAP: 'The legacy is incredibly poor.
‘This all coincided with the economic recession but in Rio, just like the boom here was more intense because of the Olympics, now the fall is more intense because of the Olympics. Everybody here is suffering right now, of all incomes and all stripes and colours.’
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Storage: Pictures show piles of metal and other goods stacked up outside the Arena Carioc in Rio de Janeiro
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Sad sight: An aerial view shows how the Olympic park, which was buzzing with activity just months ago, is now empty