New Events for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games

Every four years athletes from all over the world come to represent their respective homelands in the Olympic Games. Each one hoping to be able to place their names in history as one of the greatest athletes of all time for their respective events. We all know about the traditional events that are held every four years but in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil there will be some very special new additions. In this paper we will discuss them in their entire golden splendor. 

Rio De Janeiro

It is known as the capital of the country of Brazil which is set as the place for the 2016 summer Olympics. The most important event of the year in the city other than this one is Carnival which takes place before Lent begins which is a Catholic that takes place before center to symbolize the forty days before Christ was crucified (Agency). 

Many issues are taking place there but it is a beautiful city and the government is doing the best it can to address all of the needs of the people but it is responsible for quite a few people. There are some citizens that are calling for impeachment due to the unhappiness because of the present state of affairs but who would be happy if they could barely provide for themselves and employment was scarce. 

Should the Olympics Be Cancelled?

There is quite a lot of speculation that due to the current state of affairs that the Olympics should be cancelled or moved to a new place before they are set to take place in August. This would be a tragedy however since there is a chance that it could greatly help the economy of the Brazilian people who could use the tourism and the money that it would receive from people coming to see the Olympic events. It is speculated that having the event anyway could simply make the situation worse rather than better since the cost of having the Olympics could turn out to be worse than the benefit of being the first South American country to host the event (Phillips). There is also the consideration of all the increased crime that has been taking place also over the past few years and it seems that this seems to be the worst of the three years. 

Zika Virus 

The Zika virus which can be contracted just by being bitten by a mosquito is a huge concern in the tropical climate that is in Brazil. Some of the symptoms that can arise from this are fever, nausea and many others that may not have even been found yet. There are countries that feel that their athletes should be protected such as Kenya who has said that if it is shown that there is even one small outbreak they will not send anyone to compete in any events this year (LaGrave). The biggest worry on everyone’s mind is whether or not this virus will inflict damage not just on the athletes but also on the many tourists and spectators that will come to watch all of the various events. 

This is especially and concerns and there are three new events that are being added to the Summer Olympics this year such as golf, sevens rugby, and also kite surfing which is set to replace the normal sport of windsurfing (Sheikmen). Although there are many people who do not want to see the spectacular sporting event canceled because of this virus or any other reason which is completely understandable given that it is the most spectacular worldwide event we also have to take into consideration the health risk that it poses. 

Current State of Affairs in Brazil

The current state of affairs in Brazil, from a cultural perspective, is a very hectic one considering the fact that their current president was just impeached and there is a temporary provisional government in place. This has done nothing to restore the economy that has taken a horrible turn for the worst and left of many buildings and facilities that will be needed for various events at the Olympics unfinished. It is also poses quite a bit of concern since the crime rate has almost doubled in the past year alone (Waldron). The police and other officials are trying everything that they can do to be able to make a difference but there is not much that they are able to do since they are undermanned and not much is being done to do anything about the situation. 

A jaguar had to be killed be the military during the riding of the ceremonial Olympic torch which was a mistake that should have never been made in the first place. Even though a statement has been issued to say that it will not happen again it does make a person wonder how many other situations have yet to happen (Nelson).  The sad part is that it could cost many lives or worse but thank goodness it has not come to that at this time. Many of the venues that need to be built for certain sports are not completed yet or building has been brought to a crashing halt which many are afraid is going to cause problems that should have been foreseen and prepared for in advance. 

Doping 

The age old problem that seems to plague every major sporting event and the sad part is that even the purest events are being affected. This has just happened to the Russian Olympic team and they have all been banned although there is word that they are still going to attempt to send some athletes but they will not be able to send near as many as they normally do. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a statement addressing the measures that it is taking to prevent doping (Ruiz). Russia has been banned from participating which is making many people to wonder whether or not it was a good idea and who really suffers the athletes or the country itself. 

There are people on both sides of the equation who support the IOC for their choice and are also those who feel that it is more of a political move not really one that benefits anyone in particular. But the good thing is that no one can say that a particular nation is responsible because this is coming from the respective governing body of the Olympics itself. It is very disheartening however to see the athletes that have worked very hard to get to this particular place in their careers not be able to see it go to fruition because of the poor actions of one or two people. This can be said for the members of the Russian track and field team who are banned that did nothing wrong and are unable to compete in individual events because of the actions of their teammates. That is not only a tragedy but a very horrible injustice that is being served to them and there has to be something that can be done instead.

New Sports Being Chosen

Sevens Rugby 

There are at least three sports that will be making their debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics sets as sevens rugby which is an interesting take on American football. There will be both men and women’s teams and there will be twelve teams in both genders which are likely to be split up into three separate groups with four each.  Both men and women’s teams will compete in competition for medals. This format will be a little bit different from the traditional sevens format which normally has twenty-four teams that are split up into six groups (Sheikmen).  The one concern the most will have about this event though if the fact that it has the potential to be one of the most dangerous events of all of the Olympic events simply because of the overall physicality of the game of rugby itself. 

Kitesurfing

This particular sport is replacing windsurfing however is made to show what aerial surfing is all about because is it designed to show many aesthetic tricks that are pleasing to the eyes. The downside though is that it has a very bad reputation for injuries and this calls for the safety of all that participate. When German doctors researched to find the true dangers of the sport they found that in a six-month period over half of the 235 people in their study suffered injuries and a handful of those people had severe damage (Sheikmen).  Hopefully it does not turn out to be a storm that is too dangerous that it cannot be enjoyed when it is watched. There are many that are opposed to it replacing windsurfing however and are even asking for the vote to be reconsidered before this sport makes its international debut in Rio. 

Golf

Seventy- Two holes will be played and no teams will exist on this form of Olympic golf which is going to be very interesting. Talk of some of the stars and pros like Tiger Woods and others that are interested in playing to represent their country. It could really change the game of Golf and get some serious attention on the international stage. Players also feel that the Olympic setup needs to be changed but since this is the return of it after several hundred years of it being a sport on the worldwide stage just having it again is more than enough. 

This is a sport though that only a true lover of the game will be paying much attention to since the average Joe will think that is boring and just for those that are rich and sophisticated. The interesting aspect of this particular event is that it puts the aspect of medals to a game and also includes men right along with women even though there will be medals for males and females (Sheikmen). 

Endless Possibilities

The sky is the limit when it comes to what can happen to the Olympics because there are always people that we do not expect to become the next stars. This is due to the fact that they finally have the chance to be able to showcase what they have been working all of their lives for this one moment that they have competing before the whole world in their individual event. Who knows what can happen? It happened with quite a few gymnasts last time so it will be interesting to see who the new names and faces will be successful this time. 

Conclusion

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil will be the grand place where the biggest international spectacle takes place the Olympics. We wait every four years for summer and then for winter when all of the athletes from all over the world come to showcase their talents and abilities to prove that they are the best and to prove that their country has the best. 

With all of the sports that are presently still apart of the summer Olympics and the addition of three new ones it is sure to be a wonderful experience for all who choose to watch it whether on television at home or ever take the trip to Brazil to watch the events live. There are some securities and safety concerns that will have to be addressed but every measure is being taken to ensure that nothing happens and that a good time is had by all. 

The Brazilian economy will hopefully benefit greatly from all of the visitors and people will discover things about the country that they have never known before. Many wonders to behold besides the events that will be taken place and the country is filled with great history and culture. Even though there are issues that can be challenging and seem like they will take over the entire country there is always hope for tomorrow and for changes to be made. We all just have to want the best and be willing to work for it. One heart and one world is the goal of the Olympics and that starts with each one of us.

Works Cited

Agency, Central Intelligence. CIA World Factbook - The best country factbook available online. n.d. 23 June 2016. Web. Retrieved From <http://www.ciaworldfactbook.us/south-america/brazil.html>.

LaGrave, Katherine. "Should the 2016 Olympics Be Canceled Because of Zika?" June 15 2016. Conde Nast Traveler. June 23 2016. Web. Retrieved From http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-02-04/should-the-2016-olympics-be-canceled

Nelson, Samantha. "Death, destruction: 5 signs Rio's not ready for the Olympics." 22 June 2016. USA Today. 24 June 2016. Web. Retrieved From http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/06/22/5-bad-omens-ahead-rio-olympics/86239710/

Phillips, Ryan. "It's Time To Seriously Consider Canceling The 2016 Summer Olympics." 12 May 2016. The Big Lead . 23 June 2016. Web. Retrieved From <http://thebiglead.com/2016/05/12/its-time-to-seriously-consider-canceling-the-2016-summer-olympics/>.

Ruiz, Rebecca. "After Russian Ban, I.O.C. President Addresses Antidoping Efforts." 21 June 2016. The New York Times . 24 June 2016. Web. 

Sheikmen, Mike. "2016 Olympics: New Events Debuting in Rio." 12 August 2012. The Bleacher Report. 24 June 2016. Web. Retrieved From http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1294490-2016-olympics-golf-rugby-and-kitesurfing-events-debuting-in-rio

Waldron, Travis. "Everything Is Going Wrong In Brazil Ahead Of The Olympics." 23 May 2016. The Huffington Post . 24 June 2016. Web. Retrieved From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rio-olympics-2016-brazil-crises_us_573b53e7e4b0646cbeeb02c8