Rio's Olympic Inequality Problem, in Pictures

Thomas Bach, current president of the International Olympic Committee, addressed a small gathering on August 5 in Barra da Tijuca’s Cidade das Artes to mark the yearlong countdown to the opening of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

His effusive speech praised the efforts of the organizers, highlighted the offerings of the city, and detailed all of the socioeconomic benefits the Olympic Games would bring, calling it “the most inclusive Olympic Games ever.” Such rhetoric, however, fell flat across the rest of the city. There are signs all around, including a corruption scandal and an economic downturn with no relief in sight, that infrastructure investment for the Games will not reach those who need it most and is largely benefiting those who already sit on the favorable side of one of the largest wealth gaps in the world.