Pursuits
It's So Bad in Brazil That Olympians Will Have to Pay for Their Own AC
- Hampered by economic crisis, Rio 2016 will cut $520 million
- Organizers say no changes to what broadcasters were promised
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The Brazilian economic crisis has finally hit the 2016 Olympics. Following a new round of cost-cutting by the Rio 2016 organizers, athletes will be asked to pay for the air conditioning in their dorm rooms. Stadium backdrops will be stripped to their bare essentials. Fancy cars and gourmet food for VIPs are out.
"The goal here is to organize games without public funding and to organize games that make sense from an economic point of view," Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said in an interview.