Sink or Swim. Can Brazil avert an impending PR disaster if the Summer Games fail?

Soon the Olympic Games begin in Rio de Janiero. What should be a point of pride for Brazil has been reduced to a cause for concern and worry for athletes, tourists, and international organizers.

As August 5 approaches, Brazil has been plagued by police protests, an upswing in crime, outdoor rowing venues steeped in dangerous bacteria and an outbreak of Zika virus that has scared away some of the best athletes in the world.

Hosting the Olympics should be a hole in one for countries and cities looking to showcase and market themselves a destination for tourists and visitors. The Summer Games are essentially a 16 day long PR campaign. That is unless the hosts are not ready. With less than three weeks to go, can Rio get its house in order in time to welcome athletes and media from around the world?

Professor Michael Lewis is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Professor Lewis is an expert in sports marketing and is available to speak to media about whether or not Rio will be ready and what the consequences could be if the upcoming Summer Games are a failure.

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