Brazil Sambas Into Olympian Joys, Challenges

It’s time to develop a taste for caipirinhas, Brazil’s national cocktail, and to learn how to samba. Unless you are an Olympic athlete, that’s most of what you need to know to prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games, which on Friday were awarded to Rio de Janeiro.

For the first time, the International Olympic Committee has chosen a South American city to host the Olympics.

Rio’s victory over richer, more developed places -- Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid -- continues a welcome trend of acknowledging the growing importance of developing countries. The World Cup next year will be hosted by South Africa and in 2014 it will be held in Brazil.

The IOC’s choice sent an emotional jolt through the country. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s charismatic president who enjoys an 81 percent approval rating and who worked hard to support Rio’s bid, cried when the vote was announced. Some 30,000 people celebrated on Copacabana Beach.

The games present a tremendous opportunity for Brazil. The Olympics will give Brazilians a huge shot of self-confidence and boost the country’s tourism industry and Rio’s public transportation system. It’s also an opportunity to counter the violent imagery of drug lords, gang murders and grinding poverty realistically captured in films such as “City of God” (2002). Those scenes have replaced postcard images of beaches and mountains that used to seduce people around the world.

Military Maneuvers

It would be a mistake to skip a trip to the 2016 Games due to concerns about safety. Rio has hosted large international gatherings such as the 1992 Earth Summit and the 2007 Pan American Games. When the world’s attention is on them, Brazilians don’t take chances. During these types of events, law enforcement is shifted from the local police, who don’t exactly enjoy a reputation for moral rectitude.

Instead, Brazil’s military runs security, sporting assault weapons and tanks. If you think Rio’s drug kingpins are crazy enough to conduct business as usual under those conditions, think again.

It’s worth noting also that Rio hasn’t been subject to terrorist attacks like those that sadly hit Madrid and London, where the 2012 Olympics will be held.

Challenges Abound

The greatest challenge for Rio and Brazil probably isn’t the Olympics itself, but its aftermath. Is the country capable of doing anything to improve the life of millions of slum kids living in Rio’s favelas, which climb the mountainsides just blocks away from fashionable neighborhoods like Ipanema? Besides making a few extra bucks by juggling tennis balls at busy intersections, will their lives change dramatically because of this event? Probably not.

Regardless of which city hosts the Olympics, some things are certain.

The event will cost three times more than originally budgeted. The estimated cost of the 2016 games is 25.9 billion reais ($14.5 billion). Still, lack of money won’t be an issue. Brazil’s monetary authority can simply print more money if necessary. That’s no different from what the world’s developed nations are doing.

Architectural white elephants will dot the landscape. Stadiums, gymnasiums, cycling centers, athlete dorms and so much more infrastructure will be little-used eyesores as soon as the closing ceremony concludes.

Athletes may take home medals, but politicians and politically connected business people are the ones who really achieve success at any Olympics.

Collective Society

Finally, don’t expect Brazil to experience a home court advantage and win buckets of gold medals.

Brazilians aren’t a greedy bunch and they are always happy to please foreigners.

Medal counts tend to favor individual performances, like the ones U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps gave on his way to winning a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

Brazil is too much of a collective society to cultivate stars who excel as lone performers in events like swimming and gymnastics. Brazil’s strengths are team sports like soccer, volleyball and basketball.

It is rare to see a Brazilian athlete turn to the camera, pound his chest and say he’s competing to win gold, such as swimmer Cesar Cielo Filho did before breaking the world record in the 100-meter freestyle last July in Rome. Perhaps Cielo will teach other Brazilian athletes, especially those who don’t have the opportunity to practice in the U.S. as he does, to do the same.

That might be the most important legacy of Rio’s 2016 party.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=aa0KLdK_V0Xg

To contact the writer of this column: Alexandre Marinis in Sao Paulo at amarinis1@bloomberg.net