Brazil trying to use Pan Am Games to prove it could host World Cup, Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Maracana stadium, the shrine of Brazilian soccer, is closed. The national sport is on hold, awaiting the start of the Pan American Games on Friday -- and the promise of future glory that a successful sports showcase could bring.

The stadium, remodeled and refurbished, will host the opening ceremony, symbolizing Brazil's desire to join the contenders to host more major international sporting events, including the 2014 World Cup and possibly even an Olympics.

Built for the 1950 World Cup, Maracana was the stage for Brazil's shocking 2-1 loss to underdog Uruguay in the final before 200,000 stunned fans. It's still considered the nation's biggest sporting letdown. Although Brazil went on to win a record five World Cups, it never has hosted another, and hasn't been the site for any major multisports tournament until now.

Brazil, of course, wants to succeed in the medals competition, but the larger question is whether the nation can prove it can pull off a huge event, turning itself into a significant player on the world sports hosting scene.

The setting of Brazil's tourism capital is idyllic, with Rio's striking emerald hills sweeping down to white sand beaches. But the city of 6 million is struggling to contain brutal gang violence in its teeming slums, and the most recent conflict is a two-month siege between authorities and criminals that has left at least 46 dead.

Meanwhile, construction delays at Pan Am sites and an air traffic control crisis that has snarled domestic flights and angered passengers have Brazilians wondering how well the country will do staging the games.

"Along with smooth running of the sports competitions, transportation and security will also be tests of Rio's readiness to make an Olympic bid," said Ed Hula, editor of Around the Rings, a global news organization devoted to the Olympics.

Of particular concern is crime, he said, "often mentioned in connection with Rio de Janeiro as one of the issues for a possible Olympic bid."

"Problems for visitors to the Pan American Games, especially international visitors, could become a hurdle for Rio to overcome," Hula added.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is vowing Brazil will succeed, and says the crime problems are overblown by the media. A successful presentation surely would boost Brazil's chances of hosting the 2014 World Cup when FIFA's executive committee announces the winner late this year.

"I am sure they will be an extraordinary success," Silva said of the Pan Am Games. "Brazil will definitively have the credentials to stage bigger events, like the soccer World Cup."

About 5,500 athletes from 42 countries across the hemisphere are expected to attend the July 13-29 games, as well as 2,000 delegation members, 3,000 journalists and 15,000 volunteers.

"Things don't need to be perfect, but the Brazilians have to demonstrate that they can handle the job of organizing an event of this size," Hula said.

Rio hotels are almost full in the normally quiet South American winter season, with reservations booked for 95 percent of the city's nearly 24,000 rooms. City officials have even created bed and breakfast networks, including one in a hillside shantytown.

The games required a massive outlay in this country of 190 million, where many earn the minimum wage of 380 reals ($195) a month. Federal, state and municipal governments have spent about eight times more than originally projected -- nearly $2.1 billion -- for organization, infrastructure and security

Silva, however, suggested the cost was worth it because Brazil "will have the most modern and perfect security system this country has ever seen."

But accounting officials have questioned whether expenses characterized as "urgent" and "exceptional" and disbursed without public bidding were irregular. Some critics doubt Rio will be seriously considered as a contender for the Olympics for decades no matter how the Pan Am Games turn out.

"It's like a bad joke," said respected sports analyst Juca Kfouri. "We lack everything. We lack wealth. How does Rio compare with New York, Paris, Madrid, Beijing, the cities that are always in the running?"

Then there's the potential for problems athletes and spectators might have simply getting to Brazil or getting back home after the games end.

Flights in and out of Brazil have experienced major disruptions since last year, when 154 people died in the country's worst air disaster. Protests by air traffic controllers have prompted periodic chaos, with mass cancellations and delays. In June alone, there were two disruptions that lasted for days.

Work at the Pan American Village likely won't be concluded before the games start, according to the office of Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia. Construction was delayed by a road that caved in inside the village.

While Rio's infamous crime typically evaporates just before big celebrations such as Carnival, a shootout on June 25 between police and drug traffickers forced officials to close down a runway at Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, where most foreign visitors will arrive.

Special Pan Ams police coverage began June 30. Federal police will supply 2,800 officers, trained in methods used by security forces at the World Cup in Germany. Some 6,000 agents of the elite National Force also will take part, and about 15,000 local police will be deployed.

Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Sergio Cabral also has asked the government to send military forces to back up police, but defense Minister Waldir Pires hasn't confirmed he will.

To reduce the risk of violence, the government plans to involve Rio's 600 shantytowns, or "favelas," in the games, with participating countries "adopting" a district, athletes visiting communities and residents getting free tickets.

While Brazil is the sole candidate to stage the 2014 World Cup and is likely to get it if FIFA remains committed to a South America-based tournament, the nation also has made a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Getting either, or both, surely depends on a good show in July.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)