Brazil President assures Rio is capable of hosting safe 2016 Olympics

Silva assures Rio is capable of hosting Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says Rio de Janeiro is capable of hosting a safe 2016 Olympics and the city will show it deserved to win the games.

At the launch of a gym and cultural center inside a city slum Wednesday, Silva said Rio will be ready for the Olympics despite a recent wave of violence that has killed more than 40 people, mostly gang members, after a police helicopter was downed Oct. 17.

“We are not going to fail. We want to show that this country does not owe anything to Madrid, to Chicago and to Tokyo,” Silva said, referring to the three other finalist cities. “We will host the Olympics better than these countries did in the past.”

While Spain, the United States and Japan hosted previous Olympics, Rio will stage the first games in South America. Safety was always a concern related to Rio’s bid, but the city was still able to beat its opponents in an International Olympic Committee vote on Oct. 2.

Following the recent violence, Silva’s government offered nearly $76 million to improve safety in the city, and the total earmarked for fighting violence in Rio already surpasses $145 million.

“There is no limit to help Rio de Janeiro,” Silva said. “For us, it is important to show the world that Brazil and its society are more powerful than organized crime.”

Silva also said at the Mangueira slum that he expects Brazilian athletes to start preparation for the games as soon as possible to avoid disappointing performances in 2016.

“Brazil won’t host the Olympics (and allow) the gringos to come here and win our medals,” he said.