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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, August 4, 2016 | 10 For more news, visit oakvillebeaver.com. $700 OFF HI-EFFICIENCY CENTRAL AIR $ AIRE ONE MADNEss sAlE! /mTH OAC* 29 IN I.E.S.O. REbATE* $400 up TO Starting from NOW $ Was *Call for details 1990 A+ RATING $ 2690 Up to 6 months no payments, no interest. o.a.C.* * HI-EffICIENCy AIR CONDITIONERS · 10 Year Factory Warranty Hoping the Games provide Olympian escapism That's T Life he Games of the XXXI Olympiad open tomorrow (Friday) night in Rio de Janeiro -- fated for full-blown failure, or set-up for sweeping success, depending on who you listen to, or whether you believe the mythology of the Olympics and the magic of the Olympians will someGuest Contributor how rise up and save the day. Less than a month ago, The New York Times, in a story under the omi- trophe, took to describing nous headline Brazil's Olympic Catas- the Games as `an unnatural disaster'; which some rsthand observers insisted was actually an understatement. Consider: a mere 50 days before the Games were to begin, Rio itself declared a `state of public calamity' -- a designation typically reserved for extreme and unforeseeable acts of God, not a planned event -- over a cash crisis, according to the decree, that could cause "a total collapse in public security, health, education, mobility and environmental management." Speci c to the Olympics, the calamities have been piling up for months. While the risk of mosquito-borne Zika is in fact declining, the virulent virus has nonetheless taken its toll with visitors and athletes alike pulling out of the Games with safety concerns. Speaking of safety concerns....Rio is no stranger to chaos. So much so, Brazilian soccer legend Rivaldo recently spoke out, advising tourists and athletes to skip the Rio Olympics because of local violence and political instability. In the rst four months of 2016, Rio registered 1,715 homicides. Then there's the water in Guanabara Bay, where the athletes will compete. Thick with raw sewage. And while most of the Original artwork by Michael Byers big items -- household garbage and other lessthan-savoury ndings -- have been shed out of the bay, health of cials are still sternly warning athletes to keep their mouths closed while swimming through the sludge. SAmE DAY INSTALLATION! Andy Juniper CALL NOW, QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED! 9 Locations to serve you better Heating & Cooling www.aireone.com 905-849-4998 1-888-827-2665 money doing better? Talk to us Watch your money grow with great rates from FirstOntario. 12 Month GIC Want to see your st. 1.90 2.00 % 1.70 %* e-Savings up to Conditions apply. Rates subject to change. *Rates apply to registered and non-registered products. 30 Month GIC %* Call us at 1-800-616-8878 or visit FirstOntario.com Oh, and then there's the whole Russian doping debacle. As I write this, the International Olympic Committee -- comprised of gold-medal waf ers -- continues to undermine its own credibility, now saying it might not decide until mere hours before the Opening Ceremonies on whether the cheaters will be banned from the competition. Well, at least the venues are ready, right? Ah, in recent weeks, reports of venues being far from ready are rampant, despite the insistence of organizers all is set for 16 days of, "Higher. Faster. Stronger." Given all of the above, what makes anyone think the Rio Games have any shot of medalling? Well, history, for starters. You see, according to Olympic historian/author David Goldblatt, pretty much all Olympic Games begin under a black cloud of one description or another. However, history suggests those clouds clear once the athletes take over center stage. In Goldblatt's words: "The Games have invariably produced an exceptional global media spectacular that has, with the connivance of the sports press, washed all previous concerns away." Let's hope so. Because the lead-up to the Rio Games has been about as toxic as the water in Guanabara Bay. And at this point, I think we're all in desperate need of some hearty Olympic-sized athletic escapism. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@ gmail.com, found on Facebook www.facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www. twitter .com/thesportjesters.