Some of the venues snapped by Paul Bush on the road to Rio


“WHERE SPORTS PRESENTATION EXCELLED, CITY DRESSING AND OFF-SCREEN BRANDING APPEARED TO BE AN AFTER-THOUGHT”


Tere is no better indicator of local engagement than bums on seats; we had over 1.2 million during the XX Commonwealth Games. For a city of over six million, unoccupied stands needn’t have been an issue for Rio. And while camera positioning did


at times negate the lack of spectators for the benefit of broadcast, there’s no denying that few sessions sold out and, in some cases, Olympic gold was contested before limited crowds. Where London 2012 and Glasgow


2014 fostered community engage- ment to ensure even obscure disciplines enjoyed huge numbers, Rio fell short. Often being sold for upwards of £200, ticket prices alienated locals, who were un- able to cough up sums equal to the monthly minimum wage to view sports with little history and a minimal fan base in the country. It’s worth noting that a lack of


paying spectators doesn’t always equate with a lack of interest. Te fan zones, though hardly abun- dant, were well used. Teir relative scarcity was a likely consequence of dwindling budgets as the project neared completion. Likewise, financial restraint was


probably the culprit for a perceptible inconsistency in look and feel across the city. Where sports presentation excelled, city dressing and off-screen branding appeared to be an after- thought. For officials, connectivity was


perhaps most troublesome. Te sheer distance between venues made transfers a challenge, with round- the-clock-traffic only compounding the issue. Despite the best efforts of largely efficient metro and bus services, transport between Olympic Park, Deodora and Copacabana took hours. With the goal of meeting at various venues International Federa- tions with an interest in bringing their event properties to Scotland, getting from A to B was, personally, the biggest frustration. For overseas travellers, these dif-


ficulties were exacerbated by the fact that very few staff and volunteers spoke English and the fear of petty crime spread amid daily reports of theft and assault. Safety in Rio was a concern.


For some, knowing 85,000 armed military were on the ground may have served as a comforting thought. Although simply a sign of the times,


the regular sight of firearms was, for me at least, a little unsettling. Despite the language barrier, the


army of volunteers were always a welcome sight. Polite and courteous, they did all they possibly could when asked to help. Tis was experienced upon touching down: as an inter- national hub, Rio de Janeiro Inter- national Airport offered as smooth a welcome and departure as I have experienced during a major event. Te conduct of the British athletes


was another shining light of this games and I confess to feeling in- spired by their professionalism and focus. Tere was no question that Team GB arrived with a mission to complete, and no question they left mission accomplished, once again surpassing expectations and cement- ing, if any doubt remained, Great Britain as a world sporting power. Ever reluctant to sit on the fence,


I think the sum of the above - and principally because organisers man- aged to avoid a debacle as had been predicted – leads me to reckon the 16 days of Rio will be regarded as a job well done. As for the legacy of the Games and the immense opportunity that now


exists to set in motion social change, to engage the disenfranchised and to generate economic benefit, I have my concerns. In many ways, these are illustrated in the unprecedented significance of Olympic football at Rio 2016. Although customarily little more


than a youth tournament, the final with Germany was the only point at which it was apparent the whole nation was sitting up to take notice. Successfully exorcising the demons of the 2014 World Cup was the climax of 2016 for the hosts and the country came to a standstill to witness it. For a nation so obsessed, is it


ambitious to think the real power of sport as a driver of change will be realised? Will the facilities created for Rio and the galvanising impact of the Games extend opportunities for local communities in the same way as we have seen since the Commonwealth Games when one sport remains so dominant? Only time will tell. For now, we have to be satisfied


with a Games that, on the whole, entertained and transpired with- out making history for the wrong reasons. Te rest, we can only wait and see.


EVENTSBASE | AUTUMN 2016 | 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48