The Rio Olympics is about to begin with its traditional opening ceremony tomorrow, but the host nation is clearly struggling to steer themselves away from controversies.
The Olympic torch relay hit a snag in three separate locations due to the gathering of demonstrators.
According to local news provider Extra, authorities were forced to cancel a ceremony in town and reroute the torch bearer to a nearby police station.
They even have to disperse the angry mob with tear gas, based on a news report by Folha de S. Paulo.
It looked to be a smooth journey after that until torch bearer and musician, Tarcisio Cisao pulled down his shorts revealing a leopard-print thong and a backside with the words: “Temer out”.
That bold action was referring to Brazil’s interim president, Michael Temer who has taken over from elected president, Dilma Rouseff who is close to being removed from office for allegedly breaking budget laws.
“It’s a coup d’etat,” Cisao told AFP after he was taken away by police and the torch was passed to the next runner.
In two separate incidents, South Korean cyclist, Kim Ok-cheol received minor injuries after being hit by a car during a training session, and a tram service nearby the Santos Dumont Airport was halted for two hours after the discovery of an ownerless sling bag.
The 21-year-old athlete fell to the side of the road after his bicycle was slightly knocked by a passing car’s side mirror, while the bomb scare was just a false alarm, according to TV Globo.
Despite all the issues that have been plaguing the run-up to the prestigious sporting event, the organisers of Rio 2016 still have faith that it will go smoothly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZrMRFkjqUg
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