RIO DE JANEIRO – No matter where the Olympics are held, Mark Adams is always prepared to deal with what he calls "teething problems." The director of communications for the International Olympic Committee knows the world's largest sports carnival always has its share of glitches and missteps, especially during the first week.
In Rio, though, the problems have been more serious — and they are proving to be more persistent. While athletes such as Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky have taken center stage, the behind-the-scenes issues include blocks of empty seats, a string of violent crimes, doping controversies, poor sportsmanship and the overnight transformation of the water in two pools from blue to hazy green.
Adams and the Rio Olympics organizers have had to address a variety of problems, ranging from food shortages at venues to the fatal shooting of a police officer. But Adams hasn't given up. Like each of the 10,500 athletes, he came to Rio filled with hope and faith, and he expects the final eight days of the Rio Games will be memorable for all the right reasons.
"There are problems at every Games," he said. "We have no regrets at all. We will look back at these Games as being a good, good thing for the Olympic movement.
"Rio 2016 is working hard to solve [the problems]. I'm confident they will. I think we got off to a good start with the sports, and let's face it, that's what really matters. We just have to make sure we continue to move on."
Some of the biggest pre-Olympics worries have not come to pass. The mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus have been a no-show, subdued by cool weather and wind. And only one athlete — a Belgian sailor — has reported getting sick from the water at lake and ocean venues.
Crime has been the most serious issue. Though some Rio residents say they feel the city has become much safer during the Olympics, the number of muggings and assaults has unsettled tourists. Portugal's education minister was robbed at knifepoint, and an attack at Copacabana Beach left a Belgian judoka with a black eye — and without his cellphone — while he was celebrating his bronze medal. A police officer, in Rio to help with Olympic security, died when his vehicle was struck by gunfire after the driver took a wrong turn into a slum.
There have been other incidents in the Deodoro zone, home to eight sports. Days after a bullet pierced the roof of a media tent at the equestrian venue, another was found in the stables. A bus transporting media from the basketball arena to the main Olympic park was attacked, with two windows shattered by a projectile and two people injured.