Posted: March 24th, 2023

The Transformation of Rio de Janeiro for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics

Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the Olympics and the World Cup. Therefore, the government had to construct new stadiums and highways to host international events successfully. The government decided to use the land around the favelas to construct the stadiums. A favela is a Portuguese word meaning slum, a low-income informal settlement on the city’s outskirts.

The favelas faced demolition to pave the way for the construction of the Olympic stadia, but the residents opposed the plan. To ease traffic, the road leading to the stadia were expanded, which led to the demolition of favelas.

The government has the power to change the favelas but claims that the slum residents are invaders. The administration argues that it has built better housing units for the slum dwellers, and plans to build more houses are underway. Additionally, the mayor states that the new housing units will offer the people dignity as they will live in a better and clean environment. The government maintains that there were people who lived in the same situation, but since they moved to the new houses, their lives have improved. In this case, they can access schools, hospitals, transport facilities, gyms, and parks. Thus, this makes the modern houses the only alternative for the slum dwellers.

The vocal protestor claims that he will not leave his favela since he is a city worker and has land rights. He indicates that the government gave them a land lease, thus making it legal to settle in the land. From the video, it is clear that the people have been mistreated and their rights violated. I agree with the perception created by the video since it is clear that the authorities involved did not consult the favela residents, leading to violence.

The solution is to negotiate and give the affected families a fair compensation or give them alternative housing. In my view, the 2016 Olympics should not have been held in Rio since the Brazilian government was not adequately prepared. Additionally, the Olympics had a negative impact on the people by destroying their property.