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2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games

Death, destruction: 5 signs Rio's not ready for the Olympics

Samantha Nelson
USA TODAY
The Olympic Torch, held by an athlete, is seen by a jaguar --symbol of Amazonia-- during a ceremony in Manaus, northern Brazil, on June 20, 2016.   The jaguar, who was named Juma and lived in the local zoo, had to be shot dead by soldiers shortly after the ceremony when he escaped.

With the 2016 Summer Olympic Games slotted to start on Aug. 5, Rio is scrambling to finish preparations for the Games.

Unfortunately, as with many cities who have hosted past Olympics, Rio de Janeiro has experienced a number of setbacks. From the death of a jaguar that was part of the Olympic torch ceremony, to a collapsed bike path that killed two people, preparations for the Olympic Games are proving difficult for the Brazilian city.

They killed a jaguar 

During the Olympic torch ceremony in Manaus, Brazil, a leashed jaguar was killed.

The jaguar was shot dead shortly after the ceremony on Monday when it approached an armed soldier.

“We made a mistake in permitting the Olympic torch, a symbol of peace and unity, to be exhibited alongside a chained wild animal. This image goes against our beliefs and our values,” the local organizing committee Rio 2016 said in a statement to Reuters. "We guarantee that there will be no more such incidents at Rio 2016.”

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Zika

As the Zika virus continues to haunt Brazil, there are major concerns that holding the Olympics in Rio this year is a bad idea.

Many critics have suggested that the games be canceled, and several athletes have already decided to drop out in fear of the virus. Ireland's golfer Rory McIlroy is the most recent dropout, joining fellow golfers Marc Leishman and Adam Scott, both Australians, and Vijay Singh, from Fiji. 

Despite the worries, Ricardo Barros, Brazil's health minister, insisted earlier this month that "there's almost zero risk" for the expected 350,000-500,000 foreign visitors of the Olympics.

Rio de Janeiro will host the Olympic Games from Aug. 5-21.

Rio de Janeiro in "public calamity"

On Friday, June 17, Rio de Janeiro's state government declared a state of "public calamity" and that emergency actions would need to take place to save Rio from a "total collapse in public safety, health, education, transport and environmental management," and to ensure that they can successfully host the Olympic Games.

The Brazilian government is struggling to gather the estimated $10 billion on funds to prepare the country for the Games due to the country's two-year recession. Protests have broken out throughout the country over the use of funds as Brazilian citizens push for money to go toward hospitals, emergency services and schools instead.

Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes said in a statement Tuesday that the Olympics are not responsible for the country's economic woes.

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Two people dead after bike lane collapsed

An 150-foot section of a bike path that sat high above the ocean ind Rio de Janeiro collapsed into the water in April, killing two people. The section was built as a legacy project for the Olympic Games and was opened three months prior to the collapse. 

According to AP, the bike path wasn't built to host Olympic events, but it was part of a road cycling route and connected the Ipanema and Copacabana beaches to the suburb where the Olympic Park is located.

Rio's subway system isn't ready

A new subway expansion that will be used to transport passengers from Ipanema beach to the Olympic Park and Village in less than 15 minutes isn't ready. The expansion, Line 4, is an important infrastructural project for the Games' preparations.

Without the expansion, visitors would have to travel over an hour through the mountains or use the bus system, all of which will worsen Rio's already over-crowded roads. 

Rodrigo Vieira, Rio de Janeiro's transportation head, told The Associated Press that the expansion would be finished in time, with around the clock shifts and 1,000 workers at each station.

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