Armed men robbed members of Brazil’s field hockey team here on Friday, raising concerns about security at the Pan American Games slated for next month.
Police said seven team members from southern Brazil training for the games were in their hotel when three assailants broke into the building. They got away with laptops, cameras, cellular phones, money and other objects.
However, state security chief Jose Beltrame said that violence is confined to slums and that athletes and tourists coming for the games would be safe because 18,000 police would patrol the streets during the event starting on July 13.
Source: People’s Daily Online — Brazilian hockey team robbed in Rio before PanAm Games
At Pan Am Games, Play It Safe and Enjoy – New York Times
Brazilian authorities have sought to dampen concerns about security and the possibility of terrorism during the games with a pledge of intense patrolling of the city by units that will include both the police and the armed forces. They note that in 1992, when the United Nations sponsored a global meeting on the environment in Rio, the event went off without incident despite predictions of a crime wave.
For the Pan American Games, Rio overcame concerns about security by promising to hold about two-thirds of the events in a sparsely-populated area, far from the city’s most perilous neighborhoods.
Nevertheless, wherever you are in Rio, it pays to be careful and to observe certain basic safety precautions. Do not flaunt jewelry or expensive cameras and video equipment, especially on the beach. For those who do not speak Portuguese, it is also advisable to move about in groups rather than alone, preferably with a local guide or translator…
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Source: At Pan Am Games, Play It Safe and Enjoy – New York Times
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