When Rio De Janerio won the hosting rights to this years Summer Olympics, many thought it would be the perfect choice for the games. Rio became the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics and it was the first time that it was held in a Portuguese-speaking country. Despite having a lot of upside on the diversity of the business, there were some major downfalls that made many fans and Olympians worried about going to Rio.

The cost

Many say that hosting a international event is only a money-losing proposition for host cities, which was the case for Rio. According to multiple sources, the plan for the city of Rio was to spend no more than $3 billion dollars on the event in total; they exceeded it by almost triple the amount. It is estimated that the city spent a near $12 billion dollars, not to mention a $15 billion debt they are in after hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Zika

There were a total of 26 thousand reported cases of Zika in Rio alone; the highest among any other city in Brazil.  The virus can be revived through a infected mosquito bite or through pregnancy. The disease can be sexually transmitted also. With the disease being commonly associated with females, many of them expressed extreme concern of whether or not to travel to this years games. US  women’s goalkeeper Hope Solo said in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated

“If I had to make the choice today, I wouldn’t go,” Solo told Sports Illustrated. “I would never take the risk of having an unhealthy child,” she said.

“I don’t know when that day will come for Jerramy [her husband] and me, but I personally reserve my right to have a healthy baby. No athlete competing in Rio should be faced with this dilemma.”

Not only are females taking precaution but also males. Golf superstars Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Jordan Speith dropped out due to their concerns of the virus also. American cyclist Tejay van Garderen also announced that he would not travel. Van Garderen cited that his wife is currently pregnant and was afraid that he could catch the virus that could harm his wife and unborn child.  US volleyball coach John Speraw went the extra mile by freezing his sperm before leaving the country.

Pollution

Although Guanabara Bay hosted the water and wind sailing events while Copacabana beach hosted beach volleyball, both were heavily polluted with raw sewage. German wind sailors Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz were both concerned of the hazardous waters.

“Its possible you hit while sailing some plastic or you don’t know what,” said Jurczok, in a interview with CNN. “It can either damage the boat or slow you down.”

Both said that they were hit with debris during their training. Lorenz even mentioned to CNN that her training partner was hit by a chair.

What can we learn from Rio and beyond?

As I watched the coverage of the Rio Olympics on ESPN, I noticed that some analysts and multiple sportswriters said that Rio was a “complete fail”: I agree. No athlete should fear traveling to a different country to compete in the sport they love. Neither they should risk serious injury or even death. Despite this year’s Olympics being a complete disaster, there are some things to look forward to when Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics in 2020. For the first time since the 2008 Beijing games, baseball and softball will be added to the Tokyo games. In addition, roller sports, which include skateboarding will be added. With the new sports being added for the 2020 games, it will be interesting to see how well the Tokyo games will turnout.