Rio 2016 termed as the most perfect imperfect Games
The 2016 Rio Olympics may not have been perfect but organisers exceeded expectations given the political and economic situation in Brazil, the International Olympic Committee said. Rio was the first ever South American city to host the Olympics. "Someone called them (Rio 2016) the most perfect imperfect Games," an IOC spokesman said, and added that it was a good characterisation.
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics may not have been perfect but organisers exceeded expectations given the political and economic situation in the South American country, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday.Rio, the first Olympic host city on the continent, had to grapple with a protracted political crisis, the worst recession in more than 80 years and a string of organisational problems due to a lack of cash.The run-up to the Games was an obstacle course for local organisers and the IOC had to put up hundreds of millions of dollars of its eventual contribution before the start of the Olympics to help out.The Games' anti-doping programme was also affected by a lack of funding amid a widening Russian drugs scandal while venues were hit by problems including water quality in pools and a virtual absence of branding around the Olympic park due to issues with banner suppliers."From an operational point of view everything worked," the IOC's Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi told reporters. "Were they perfect? No."But with the results we can really take our hat off (to Rio organisers). It is amazing what they delivered considering their standpoint," he said.Dubi said the IOC was satisfied with the Rio Games especially with athletes' performances that yielded 100 world and Olympic records and brought several countries their first medals and with global coverage which beat past records."We are right on target when you consider the money that was spent for these Games," Dubi said.Rio was awarded the Games in 2009 amid Brazil's booming economy at the time and a different set of expectations by the IOC before the political crisis and the sharp financial downturn changed organisers' plans.