Rio Olympics: Is Brazil ready for the 2016 Games?

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Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic ParkMuseum of Tomorrow – The Museum of Tomorrow is a standout architectural monument in Rio's harbor zone, revitalized as part of the city's Olympic preparations. But how is the rest of the Olympic Park shaping up?

 

Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Judo lives here – Inside one of the halls of the new Olympic Training Center on the Barra park. This one will host judo and wrestling during the Rio Olympics.

 In just one week, the eyes of the world will be on Rio de Janeiro as the Olympic Games arrive in South America for the first time.

The build up to Rio 2016 has been beset by political, economic and health crises, while doping has cast a shadow over sport and track and field in particular.

On August 5, organizers will hope to put all those various problems behind them when athletes from across the world march into the Maracana Stadium for the Opening Ceremony and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

Here's how we stand as the countdown to the world's biggest sporting event enters the home straight.

Venues

Most Olympic Games face questions over whether they are really worth the money. Billions of dollars are invested in redeveloping the infrastructure of host cities, but just what is the legacy from these sporting jamborees that are held every four years?

"In its favor Rio has avoided expensive iconic architecture, opting for the dull, the functional and the temporary," said author David Goldblatt, who has written a history of the Olympics, in the Guardian this week.

"Consequently it is set to produce fewer and less expensive white elephants than the leaders in this field, Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008)."

For the Olympics there are 32 venues in Rio de Janeiro with the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, Salvador and São Paulo also hosting football matches during the Games.

"With just over one week to go until the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, new and renovated sporting venues stand ready to welcome the world's greatest athletes to Rio de Janeiro," says the Rio 2016 website.

But if Beijing had the Bird's Nest and London showcased a towering sculpture of twisted steel, perhaps it's telling that arguably the most iconic Olympic sight in Rio remains the 78,000 Maracana -- built in 1948, though redeveloped for the 2014 World Cup. The Maracana will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.

Perhaps "dull and functional" is understandable, given Brazil has suffered economic problems since winning the right to stage the Olympics.

"We've had to make adjustments in terms of meeting new budget constraints and finding ways of saving money," said Bill Hanway, who works for AECOM, the company that won the right to design the masterplan for the Olympic Park.

"But at an Olympics you can't just skip the main stadium or the basketball arena. You can't make those giant cuts."

 

Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

A la mode – The Olympic Training Center's halls, in common with other Olympic Park venues, have been designed to a modular blueprint -- meaning some venues can be moved away from the park entirely when the Games conclude, while others can be transformed into different facilities.

 

Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Glass box – Experts suggest Rio's Olympic Park venues will be functional, if not spectacular. The Aquatics Stadium is described by its own architects as "basically a glass box."

 

Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Delayed at the velodrome – While Rio hasn't had too many problems with late venues, the velodrome was one of them. Track cycling's Olympic venue was finally handed over at the end of last week.

 

Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Olympic Lanes – Remember the Olympic Lanes from past Games, to help accredited guests and workers get around quickly? In Rio, they're back.

 Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Building the bus network – "The transport system in Barra is definitely a plus," says local architect Barbara Iseli of other Olympics-inspired upgrades to services like the bus network.

 Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Not on track – New transport links, new homes and new business districts mean revitalization projects inspired by Rio 2016 will "create neighborhoods in the city" -- according to Bill Hanway of AECOM, the company responsible for the Olympic Park's masterplan.

 Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

UFO? – Niemeyer's museum design has been likened to a flying saucer. The building was completed in 1996, 16 years before the architect's death.

 Photos: Rio 2016: The transformation of the Olympic Park

Meet the press – This is Rio 2016's main press center, or MPC, where thousands of journalists will gather while reporting on the Games.

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