Only 50 percent of tickets to the Olympics have been sold so far, Rio 2016 organizing committee spokesman Phil Wilkinson told AFP on Saturday. Brazil has sounded the alarm that ticket sales for the Olympics are worryingly low , as concerns over the Zika virus , high unemployment and political scandals overshadow the event , leaving Brazil with the embarrassing , and financially disastrous , prospect of empty stadiums . There are also concerns over Brazil 's ability to deal with the unfamiliar challenge of terrorism , as security preparations have had to be stepped up following the recent attacks in Brussels . Only 50 % of tickets have sold so far , with only 12 % sold for the Paralympics . One of the ideas put forward has been that the Brazilian Government buys unsold tickets and distributes them among athletes .
Brazil has sounded the alarm that ticket sales for the Olympics are worryingly low , as concerns over the Zika virus , high unemployment and political scandals overshadow the event , leaving Brazil with the embarrassing , and financially disastrous , prospect of empty stadiums . There are also concerns over Brazil 's ability to deal with the unfamiliar challenge of terrorism , as security preparations have had to be stepped up following the recent attacks in Brussels . Only 50 % of tickets have sold so far , with only 12 % sold for the Paralympics . One of the ideas put forward has been that the Brazilian Government buys unsold tickets and distributes them among athletes .