Are we about so see a lot of empty seats at the Olympic Games in Rio?
With just four months before the Olympics kicks off, only half of the tickets were sold. Brazil's new minister of sports, Ricardo Leyser, is now looking for new ways to increase ticket sales.
He told Brazilian newspaper Folha that the Brazilian government may purchase tickets that will be distributed to public schools. He said public officials must also work to boost worldwide confidence in Rio's ability to host the games and ensure travelers' safety.
That’s not the only problem Brazil is facing, the country is in the midst of a political upheaval and massive protests, and lawmakers are currently considering a request to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.
The country's economy is also collapsing, suffering the worst recession in 25 years.
It's also unclear whether construction of the Olympic facilities will be finished as organizers have faced steep funding constraints -- the budget was slashed by $500 million in January.
And there's concern that Brazil won't be able to attract tourists to the games over fears about high crime rates and terrorism. Brazil plans to use twice as many security agents as were used during the games in London in 2012.
And if all that is not enough, Athletes and health experts have also raised concerns about the mosquito-borne Zika virus and have lobbied for the games to be postponed. Brazilian officials have opposed the idea.
We can just hope that Brazil will overcome all these serious obstacles and host the Olympic games with success.
