The 2016 Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro

Who Can/Could/Will Beat Whom?

Abstract

Brazil has emerged on the global stage as an important player in terms of hosting
sports megaevents. In particular Rio de Janeiro has acquired a primary position among Brazilian
metropolitan spaces that have competed to sponsor such events. Rio de Janeiro’s recent (and
future) history with megaevents includes failed bids for the 2004 and 2012 Olympiads, the
hosting of the 2007 PanAmerican games, the 2011 Military Games, the final match of the 2014
FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. This paper will evaluate the disruptions that
the 2007 PanAmerican Games produced in terms of urban restructuring aimed at confronting
spatial inequalities. This paper is also a preliminary attempt to evaluate the degree to which the
initiatives carried out during the implementation of the PanAmerican Games are included and
amplified in Rio’s 2016 Olympic Bid, recently approved by the International Olympic
Committee. The following analytic dimensions will guide this paper: (a) an analysis of territorial
strategies; (b) the role and the involvement of public and private sectors in directing city
marketing and infrastructure financing; (c) decision making processes and social control during
the conception and implementation of such initiatives; (d) mechanisms of social support for these
events.
Keywords: Olympiad; Megaevents; Rio de Janeiro.