Rio Como Vamos: Assessing the Triple Bottom-Line Legacies Being Left by the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games take place every four years and captivate the attention of people all around the globe, with countries competing in various sporting events over the course of a month. The most recent spectacle took place in Rio de Janeiro, the first hosting location in both Brazilian and South American history. Ever since work began in late-2009 in preparation for the Games, the mega-sports event has been embroiled in controversy and critique, mainly centered on the financial woes of the Brazilian economy and apparent rushed construction that was done on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village. Eight months after the end of the Olympics Rio continues to receive extensive media coverage, with many questions remaining as to the future use of these different built infrastructures developed for the Olympics. By assessing the legacies left by the Olympics through a triple bottom-line approach, judgments can be drawn as to how Rio de Janeiro has been affected since the conclusion of the Games. There certainly have been substantial economic, social, and environmental impacts caused by the large-scale construction that was needed to prepare Rio to host the 2016 Olympics, and many of these consequences are still yet to be fully determined. However, through copious interviews and on-the-ground research done in Rio, it is clear that the 2016 Olympic Games have left both encouragingly positive and starkly negative legacies on the city.