Shots Fired in Olympic Park; Rio Governor Steps Down

Shots Fired at Rio Olympic Park

Construction workers clashed with security personnel on Monday at the site of the main Rio 2016 Olympic Park.

The 2,000 workers, who went on strike Thursday, are involved in a dispute concerning which union actually represents them.

"We are worried by the fact that we are losing time," a spokesman for Rio 2016 told the AP. "Beyond that, there is catch-up to do and we will have to move faster to make up whatever time we’ve lost."

Regarding reports of gunshots, he added, "Gunshots and violence worry us, but right now, we don’t know where this came from."

Prior to the current work stoppage, IOC inspectors said during a recent visit that the Rio Games face "challenging deadlines."

Rio Governor Resigns

Sergio Cabral tendered his resignation last week as a step toward an eventual senate campaign.

The governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro had seen his popularity dwindle in the wake of massive protests during last year’s Confederations Cup.

Protesters flooded the streets to voice their opposition to Brazil’s massive spending on the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics at the perceived expense of improved education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Though other politicians, such as Brazil President Dilma Rousseff, bounced back, Cabral remained unpopular.

He will now run for senate, which is considered a step down from governor. Brazilian law requires public officials to resign before seeking a new office.

Sochi Profits Exceed $140MM

The Sochi 2014 organizing committee says this year’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games registered a profit of around five billion rubles, or $142 million.

Dmitry Chernyshenko told R-Sport that between 1.5 and two billion of that total came from merchandising, while the rest is part of a valuation of property owned by the organizing committee.

Chernyshenko says the profits will be funneled into "the development of mass sport in our country."

The committee received $420 million in subsidies from the government. It did not fund the major infrastructure upgrades that took place around Sochi prior to the Games.

The organizing committee chief also said that the total tickets sold for the event exceeded the Vancouver Games four years prior.

Written by Nick Devlin

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.