The selection of Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 games marks the first time a South American city has been selected to host an Olympics. The Olympic Games will be held August 5-21, 2016. It is expected that 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will participate in 42 sports, including 555 athletes on the U.S. Olympic team. In addition to Rio de Janeiro (which has two soccer stadiums), soccer matches will be held in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, São Paulo, and Salvador. Separately or collectively, a variety of issues might pose risks to the health, safety, and general well-being of athletes and their families, team personnel, and spectators participating in or attending the 2016 Games. Chief among these are the Zika virus, public safety threats, security concerns, and environmental conditions. Each candidate city for the 2016 Games was required to address 14 themes in its bid—such as environment and meteorology, finance, security, medical services, and doping control. However, in 2009 no one could have foreseen the outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in 2016. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has stated publicly that the decision to participate in the 2016 Games is up to each member of the U.S. Olympic team, which will include approximately 550 athletes. The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games described, in the candidature file it submitted to the IOC, the exiting health care resources that could be used in support of the Games and committed to providing a series of Games-specific health services. However, shortages of health care workers and supplies might compromise the medical services available. Public safety is also a key concern, given the prevalence of criminal activity in and around Rio de Janeiro. Hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games may have implications for Brazil that extend beyond the actual events. Although the Brazilian government viewed hosting the Olympics as an opportunity to showcase the country's progress, its international stature has generally declined in recent years and Olympics-related problems that have emerged, or may emerge, could adversely affect the country's standing. If Brazil's efforts are successful, the country may regain some of the prestige it may have lost in recent years, and, turning to politics, a successful Games might improve the standing of the interim president. Doping, which is a perennial concern, has taken on added importance in the year leading up to the Rio Games because of revelations regarding Russia's national governing body (NGB) for track and field. A second WADA report, released in July 2016, documents Russian doping practices during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and a multi-year doping methodology that involved the Russian Ministry of Sport. In July 2016, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their collaborators published a model of the contribution of the Olympics to the international spread of the Zika virus. For the Zika outbreak, the CDC has not advised against all travel to Brazil (or other areas with active Zika transmission). Despite concerns about health worker shortages, Brazil has committed to ensure that
an on-site medical response team will be in place at all Olympic and Paralympic venues to provide first response and medical transfer; at least two ambulance units will be stationed at each competition venue, as well as in many non-competition venues including the Olympic and Paralympic Village, training sites, and the Games Family hotels; well-equipped disaster response teams are trained to respond to a range of possible emergencies, including dangerous weather conditions, multiple casualty situations, and incidents involving biological, chemical, or radiological hazards; and each Games venue will have its own mass casualty response plan with a pre-deployed, fully equipped mass casualty response team remaining on standby. The International Olympic Committee also indicated that "Rio 2016 is ready to welcome the world." When the country hosted the 2014 World Cup, thieves engaged in opportunistic street crime, targeting tourists near stadiums, on public transportation, and in other gathering locations. Rio de Janeiro has experienced significant improvements in security conditions over the past decade. The Terrorist Threat to the Rio Games64

In April 2016, Brazil's Director of Counterterrorism, Brazilian Intelligence Agency, Luiz Alberto Sallaberry, was reported as noting that the threat of terrorism had increased in recent months due to attacks in other countries and a rise in what he described as the number of Brazilian nationals suspected of sympathizing with Islamic State militants. Brazil's Security Preparations for the Games

Securing Olympic venues, athletes, and visitors to the Games and the surrounding area takes a great deal of effort and planning. In the event a security incident does arise that is the cause of significant concerns and the host government is perceived as incapable of safeguarding visitors to the Games, the United States may be of assistance to its citizens located in Rio de Janeiro. Sustainable design and construction 7. Solid waste management. This concern led to fear that high levels of water pollution could harm the health of tourists and athletes, in addition to impacting the competitions themselves. Implementing the Environmental Commitments

Although the 2013 Sustainability Management Plan stated that updates would be provided during the seven-year life of the Rio Olympics project (from winning the bid in 2009 to dissolution after the Games in late 2016), only one update has been issued. Brazil's international image has been battered in recent years, however, as the country has struggled to address deepening economic and political crises. Other costs related to the Summer Games, such as additional security personnel, have yet to be determined. Economic analysts assert that the Summer Games may deliver a temporary boost in tax revenues for Rio de Janeiro's local government but are unlikely to have much of an impact on the broader Brazilian economy. Prompting this surge of concern were revelations that the Russian track and field team engaged in a doping scheme orchestrated by the Russian Athletic Federation (RusAF; Russia's national governing body [NGB] for track and field) and the perception, if not reality, that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was slow to respond when first made aware of the allegations in 2010, as reported by both the New York Times and the television show 60 Minutes . Ramifications of the IC Report and IP Report

			Russian Athletes

In the aftermath of the release of the IC Report and the IP Report, on July 24, 2016, the IOC issued conditions Russian athletes must meet to be eligible to compete in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC will accept a Russian athlete for participation in the Rio Games only if the relevant IF "is satisfied that the evidence provided" meets the IOC's conditions and the IF's determination is "upheld by an expert from the CAS list of arbitrators.... " Russian athletes who have been sanctioned previously for doping, or who are unable to meet the IOC's criteria, will not be allowed to compete in the 2016 Games.
The 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5-21, 2016, and will be followed by the Paralympic Games, September 7-18, 2016. Notably, these are the first games to be hosted by a South American city. Reportedly, 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will participate in the Olympics, including 555 athletes from the United States. Most Olympic events will take place in and around Rio de Janeiro. In addition to Rio de Janeiro, soccer matches will be held in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, São Paulo, and Salvador.
Host countries and cities often have to deal with a variety of questions or issues, which is also true for Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. The list of issues or potential problems that might have implications for athletes, team personnel, and spectators participating in or attending the 2016 Rio Games includes the Zika virus, public safety threats, security concerns, and environmental conditions. It also bears noting that the act of hosting the Olympics may have implications for Brazil. Finally, doping is of particular concern this year because of revelations regarding a state-orchestrated doping scheme perpetrated by Russian authorities and sports organizations.
Each candidate city for the 2016 Games was required to address 14 themes in its bid, such as environment and meteorology, finance, security, medical services, and doping control. However, no one in 2009 could have foreseen the outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in late 2015, when Brazilian health officials noticed an increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly. Although some have called for the Games to be postponed or cancelled, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have indicated the risk of international transmission due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games is low. The CDC has published specific recommendations for pregnant women, and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has taken steps to safeguard the U.S. Olympic team.
In the candidature file it submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games stated that visitors to the country would be provided free health care. Additionally, Brazil committed to providing medical response teams and units at Olympic facilities. However, shortages of health care workers and supplies might compromise the medical services available.
Public safety and security are key concerns for visitors to Brazil, including Olympic competitors and spectators. The Department of State has noted that crime is a significant threat, and, during the 2014 World Cup, thieves targeted visitors near sports venues and other locales frequented by tourists. Although Rio de Janeiro has experienced significant improvement in public safety in recent years, some criminal activity has increased in the first half of 2016. With respect to security concerns and, specifically, terrorist threats, Brazil's Director of Counterterrorism reportedly has noted that the threat of terrorism has increased in recent months. In July 2016, the Brazilian police arrested 10 Brazilian nationals suspected of planning an attack during the Games. The national government, which is in charge of security for the Olympic Games, plans to muster a force of 85,000 personnel to provide security. U.S. citizens requiring assistance may reach out to the State Department.
Organizers of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics have made many commitments to host Games in which environmental sustainability is integral to design and planning through implementation, review, and post-event activities. These commitments address issues such as impacts of public transportation, construction, and waste management, and needed water quality improvements. For some time, concern has focused on pollution of waters at venues that will host sailing, rowing, triathlon, and similar events, leading to fear that high levels of water pollution could harm the health of tourists and athletes, in addition to impacting the competitions themselves. Organizers of the Games acknowledge that commitments related to sanitation and water quality will not be met before the Games begin.
The Brazilian government campaigned hard to win the right to host the 2016 Olympics, viewing the Games as an opportunity to showcase Brazil's economic and social progress and reinforce the country's image as a rising power. Brazil's international stature has generally declined in recent years, however, as the country has struggled to address deepening economic and political crises. While the Olympics could allow Brazil to highlight its potential and regain some of the prestige it may have lost in recent years, any problems that emerge are likely to reinforce negative perceptions some have of the country. The Games are unlikely to have much of an effect on Brazil's domestic political situation or economy. Nevertheless, a successful Olympics could strengthen the current government's hold on power and provide a temporary boost to Rio de Janeiro's economy. Most Brazilians are relatively pessimistic about the Olympics and believe they have brought more costs than benefits to the country.
While doping is a perennial concern, it has been, and is, of particular concern in the months leading up to the 2016 Rio Games. The release of two World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reports, in November 2015 and July 2016, has shown that Russian authorities and sports organizations engaged in doping schemes involving the Russian track and field team and Russian athletes competing in 2014 at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The latter report also revealed a multi-year operation implicating, among other organizations, the Russian Ministry of Sport. The consequences of these reports include, among other actions and decisions taken by the appropriate international sports organizations, a ban on Russia's track and field team, which means the team will not be allowed to participate in the 2016 Games. Additionally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that the presumption of innocence does not apply to Russian athletes and established conditions other Russian athletes must meet to demonstrate they have clean doping records and thus be eligible to compete in Rio de Janeiro.