Editorial
RIO DE JANEIRO – It is starting to feel like countdowns are all around us. In Brazil we are facing the nation-wide elections in a matter of days, while the World Cup and Olympics approach as impending tidal waves in the distance. Hopefully good tidal waves…
The elections started with at least four main contenders for the presidential race; Marina Silva (PV), José Serra (PSDB), Dilma Rousseff (PT), and Ciro Gomes (PSB).
Over time Gomes seemed to fade from the limelight and the race was paired down to three, then ultimately two clear leaders as Marina Silva lagged in the polls.
Now it seems a fore-gone conclusion that Dilma Rousseff will take the title, although José Serra certainly has a strong following and it’s not over ’til it’s over.
In the more local race, the incumbent governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Sérgio Cabral seems to hold a comfortable lead over Fernando Gabeira.
Now there is this sense of a countdown in the air, October 3rd, just days away:
Of course this feels like just a blink away in the context of the 20th FIFA World Cup that is coming to Brazil June 13th, 2014. For the first time in 64 years, (soccer) football’s biggest event will grace Brazil’s shores and a festival of football will overtake the country.
The Rio Times has been covering developments, from the concerns over preparation to the local closing of Rio’s Maracanã Stadium. We’ll continue to provide more in-depth coverage of each host city, and follow the buildup to the big event at worldcup2014.www.riotimesonline.com.
Hosting the 2016 Olympics was a hotly contested race but Brazil took the prize as the first South American country to do so. The bidding process was officially launched on May 16, 2007. Four candidate cities were then chosen for the shortlist on June 4, 2008: Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo (which hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics).
In October of 2009 Rio de Janeiro was announced as the winner, and preparations began in earnest. Initial IOC visits ended in praise and some major developments are underway, including a Metro extension to Barra and a high-speed bullet train between between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. As recently as March though, there have been concerns voiced about progress, and we’ll keep reporting on the countdown at olympics2016.www.riotimesonline.com.
For those that can’t wait that long to watch sports, we’ll also have the NFL Super Bowl on February 6th, 2011.