Foreign Athletes Competing in the Games See Two Faces of Rio
A Buddhist Monk canoeist, in flip-flops and Bermuda shorts, is surprised by the natural beauty and simultaneous inequalities in the Olympic host city.
A Swiss yachtsman sleeps under a mosquito net for protection from the mosquito that transmits Zika and takes a "bath" in a special location after training in the Guanabara bay to prevent contamination.
They are part of a group of dozens of foreign athletes who have spent the past two weeks training in Rio for a shot at an Olympic medal and have experienced both the problems and joys of the city
A rare figure in the Olympic world, Kazuwi Yazawa, 27, a Japanese monk, has had a suburban Rio de Janeiro routine, the same as most of the canoeists who up until Friday (8th) were in free training on the Olympic course for their sport.
Housed in a shopping mall next to the Complexo do Alemão, in the northern zone, the canoeist monk confronts the "unpredictable" traffic on Brazil Avenue on his way to training, hears in his room shots fired in the surrounding favelas (slums) and makes his way across the city to the beach on the rare occasions when he has free time.
"We've heard a lot about violence in Rio, but I haven't seen anything myself. We are inside of the hotel nearly all the time and feel protected", said Yazawa.
Although he praises Carioca friendliness, he can't hide his discomfort with the inequality.
Even without knowing Portuguese, the Japanese athletes are shocked by the violence they seen in the news. After lunch on Friday (8th) they discussed news of the murder of a man in the parking lot of a Mall in Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense region.
The German canoeing team is staying even farther from post-card type regions. They are housed in Nova Iguaçu, in Baixada Fluminense.
"The Brazilians that we have had contact with are nice. But it is sad to see people living under bridges, kids playing ball in the street without shoes. We hope that the Games will help these people in some way", says Jan Benzien, 33, who is competing in his second Olympics.
Foreign yachtsman have also been in training for two weeks in regattas in the Olympic lanes in Guanabara bay. And pollution isn't their only "Carioca challenge". The Swiss have installed mosquito nets on their beds to protect against Dengue fever and the Zika virus and go through a special process to "eliminate bacteria and virus" when they get out of the water.
Even though they have a tough schedule, the athletes are taking advantage of their stay in Rio. During free time they are going to beaches, Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf) and the bars and restaurants in the Lapa neighborhood.
The yachtsmen have also gotten adapted to the Brazilian routine. After training next door to Rio in Niterói, they go every day to the club.
"We have everything here. And additionally, we are enjoying the good restaurants in the city and the view that is really beautiful", said Irmina Mrózek, from Poland.
Translated by LLOYD HARDER