What will Rio’s Olympic Legacy be?

There are a lot of positive associated with the Olympic games as it highlights the host city in different aspects. A feasibility analysis along with other forms of preparation and testing are done before the event is granted to the city, but the effects on the hosts after the tournament is usually unheard of.

In recent times, Olympic Legacy has become a hot topic of discussion and in 2012 the London Legacy Development Corporation was formed as part of the planning authority for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its environs ahead of the 2012 Olympics there. The organisation oversaw the carrying out of the Olympic Legacy and fulfils some of the Olympic promises that were made with respect to the future usage of facilities.

In relation to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a number of facilities were constructed for the event, however, once the games are over, one can speculate that several of these stadiums may be surplus to requirements and be left to rot, as they did in Athens and Atlanta (just to name a few), where these abandoned Olympic Venues are now just big examples of money down the drain. The majority of these facilities should have been properly maintained and be available for use by the common public instead of becoming white elephants.

With the 2016 Rio Olympic games winding down, what can be expected when the global focus shifts in September? Brazil, in an economic crisis, is experiencing one of their worst ever recessions and many question the probable success of the Games there after spending close to US$4.6 billion with the final cost expected to balloon to US$10 billion when everything is considered.

According to the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTO C), Brian Lewis: “Each of the Games is different. Each host city deals with their Olympic Legacy according to their situation and what they have to offer.” Lewis, who is currently in Brazil with the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic contingent, also got the opportunity to experience the Summer Games in Beijing and Athens where he noted that a lot of the facilities built for the Olympics became obsolete.

“In Rio, it can be noted that they used a number of temporary facilities as well as upgrading and restructuring existing facilities, along with the construction of new ones.” This was a very sensible and cost-efficient approach by the Brazilian hosts, or as Lewis phrased it “Gambiarra”, a Brazilian term which basically means to find solutions using makeshift methods and limited resources.

“Credit should be given where credit is due,” and according to Lewis, Rio’s decision to take a page out of London’s 2012 Olympics by implementing the use of temporary structures was intelligent.

“Rio is a beautiful city and is already on the majority of the world’s bucket-list, but the investment of hosting Olympic Games would revamp the city and strengthen its tourism product,” he added.

Lewis went on to draw reference to the 1992 Barcelona Games where the city benefited tremendously from global exposure.

One can only hope that plans are in place to ensure the facilities used in Rio are utilised and can stimulate the Brazilian people and economy in the future.

For example, Beijing’s Bird Nest stadium consumes almost US$11 million in maintenance fees each year, but has hosted several major events since the 2008 Olympics to create revenue and offset its upkeep cost. Football matches, pop concerts, Formula One racing and even the 2015 World Championships have all taken place at the Bird’s Nest, ensuring continued usage.

According to the Rio de Janeiro’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, Rio is determined to leave behind a more successful and sustainable legacy compared to some of the past games by implementing the usage of, what he terms “nomadic architecture”, as the city plans to dismantle one of the arenas, Rio’s Future Arena, and turn it into schools. Also, the nearby temporary Aquatic Stadium, would be turned into two community pools.

While these plans may sound and look great on paper, retired professor Jay Coakley, from the University of Colorado, who studied the Sociology of Sports and the impacts of sporting mega-events, stressed in an interview with CityLab.com that Rio is in a deep financial crisis and it would be very tough for them to honour their legacy promises. He went on to further state that once the games are over, the organising committee usually disbands and it becomes very difficult to know who would actually carry out the initiatives.

As the sun sets in Rio and eyes shift to Tokyo 2020, it is interesting to see their approach as to hosting the Games and more importantly, what Rio’s legacy will look like in four years time.