Day one of the Rio Olympics

A left-wing columnist deplores the operational shortcomings of the Games and thinks these will impair the chances of Budapest’s candidacy for the 2024 Olympics. A right-wing commentator finds that basically everything is on track in Rio.

In Népszava, Péter Bernau draws political conclusions from Rio’s security problems. Visitors are regularly being robbed, tap water and ice cubes are only recommended to the most courageous and the company in charge of security scrapped its contract with the government at the very last moment before the Olympics.  The International Olympic Committee, he continues, will have to thoroughly reconsider what kind of countries are able to host the forthcoming games. As a result, the left-wing commentator concludes in a highly political remark, Budapest ‘will be in trouble’, because analysts contend that the safest candidates are democracies with low levels of corruption.

In Magyar Idők, Zsigmond Deák, a seasoned Olympics correspondent is not unduly concerned about the conditions visitors face in Rio. Basically everything is in place, he writes, sportsmen use repellent gels against mosquitos, and if one does not take too much money when one sets out for a walk, then even a robbery will not do one too much harm. The Soccer World Cup was held two years ago in several cities throughout this enormous country and no serious security problems were reported, he remarks. He thinks it is much easier to guarantee reasonable safety in Rio de Janeiro alone. As for Hungary’s chances in the event, he predicts one gold medal as early as the opening day (to be won by swimmer Katinka Hosszu).

Tags: Olympic Games