Friday, August 19, 2016

Some win, some lose.

That is the human condition. So, we should expect that some Olympians do not live up to expectations. This is true in their chosen field as well as in their personal conduct.

The Phelps/Lochte swim team had been a very distinguished representative in the pool, but outside of the pool it has not gone se well.

By now, we know what happened to the four young Americans in Rio. They had been partying at a night club and most likely had too much to drink. They stopped at a gas station for a nature call and ended up vandalizing the bath room. This had been bad enough, but attendants demanded payment for damages and the four claimed to have been robbed at gun point.

The Brazilians did not take this lying down. They collected the facts and the four were sent home in disgrace after paying a substantial fine. So, by now the four had paid $49 for the damages, a $10K fine each and will most likely lose advertising revenues totaling millions. A rather steep price for an evening of "fun".

Brazil has done a credible job with the Olympiad. Threats of unfinished buildings and venues were successfully resolved and an enormously complex event was staged successfully. Security was well managed throughout. Nothing is perfect though. We know this and the Brazilians know it.

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