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Brazilian minister assures political crisis will not affect Olympics

Xinhua, April 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Brazil's Sports Minister, Ricardo Leyser, assured on Wednesday that the political crisis currently in the South American country will not affect the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

The crisis is making the local people seem uninterested in the upcoming sporting event, acknowledged Leyser while talking on radio program Buen dia, ministro.

The minister said that the Games will leave an important legacy of sports infrastructure for the country.

With just 114 days to go before the start of the competitions, construction work is 97 percent complete and for that reason the country will fulfill all their international commitments.

"The political crisis will affect the Games because it will divert the populations (attention). We are going to receive the best athletes in the world and the people are not interested in seeing these events," said Leyser.

Brazil is currently going through a political crisis with all eyes on the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff. The president will have a decisive chapter in her mandate this weekend with the vote within the Chamber of Deputies.

The opposition have accused the president of fiscal irregularities. If the judgment is approved by two thirds of the lawmakers the issue will pass onto the Senate.

The Sports Minister said the Olympic torch's journey will interest Brazilians and will encourage the sale of more tickets to the Games. The torch will arrive in Brasilia on May 3 to begin the journey around the whole country until the official opening in Rio on August 5.

Leyser added that the Olympic flame has great strength and is very important to Brazil at these times of uncertainty.

"It is a symbol of peace and union between between people. In ancient times, even wars were suspended for the Olympics," said the minister.

The Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro will take place between August 5 and 21 and the Paralympics will start on September 7 and end on the 18th of the same month. Endit