China’s largest ever Olympic contingent of 411 athletes has brought expectations for a sizeable medal haul to Brazil. But with with local issues compounded by some wider – and more worrying – trends, it is no exaggeration to say that the Rio Olympics are facing potentially fatal headwinds.
The Rio Olympics are shaping up to be the most pivotal of recent times.
Not because the sporting action is any more anticipated than at previous Games – far from it – but because the Olympic concept has taken so many knocks in recent years that the very credibility of the Games is under threat.
In fairness, there has been criticism in the build-up to all Olympic Games in recent memory. This happens largely because the hordes of international media are on site days before the Games kick off and have to file daily stories with little or no sporting action to discuss. But, while some may disagree, the build-up to Rio does seem worse than normal.
Locally, health has been a big concern with the Zika virus seeing a number of high-profile withdrawals – mostly notably the top four male golfers in the world – even though the official line from the IOC and its health experts has been that there is nothing to worry about.