The 2016 Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro: Who Can/Could/Will Beat Whom?

Brazil has emerged on the global stage as an important player in terms of hosting sports megaevents. In particular Rio de Janeiro has acquired a primary position among Brazilian metropolitan spaces that have competed to sponsor such events. Rio de Janeiro’s recent (and future) history with megaevents includes failed bids for the 2004 and 2012 Olympiads, the hosting of the 2007 PanAmerican games, the 2011 Military Games, the final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. This paper will evaluate the disruptions that the 2007 PanAmerican Games produced in terms of urban restructuring aimed at confronting spatial inequalities. This paper is also a preliminary attempt to evaluate the degree to which the initiatives carried out during the implementation of the PanAmerican Games are included and amplified in Rio’s 2016 Olympic Bid, recently approved by the International Olympic Committee. The following analytic dimensions will guide this paper: (a) an analysis of territorial strategies; (b) the role and the involvement of public and private sectors in directing city marketing and infrastructure financing; (c) decision making processes and social control during the conception and implementation of such initiatives; (d) mechanisms of social support for these events.