Ready or not, let the Games begin

RIO DE JANEIRO – Apparently, Pele decided he couldn't wait. The Brazilian soccer great said at an event here Wednesday that he had been asked to light the Olympic cauldron at Friday's opening ceremony, committing a major faux pas by spoiling the surprise.

His premature statement — which wasn't confirmed by the Rio Olympic organizing committee — seemed particularly out of character at a Summer Games defined by its lateness. Wednesday, Rio continued its leisurely progress toward an Olympics that open Friday, ready or not. And depending on where you looked, either could apply.

At Copacabana Beach, workers assembled flagpoles at the back of a newly constructed viewing stand for road cycling and triathlon. Crews readied the Olympic Park for guests. Rio's well-documented traffic remained gridlocked as drivers adjusted to the Olympic traffic, leading Mayor Eduardo Paes to declare a special holiday Thursday to ease the congestion.

As the city scrambled to make final preparations for the first Olympics in South America, the Olympic torch arrived in Rio to an enthusiastic reception Wednesday, complete with samba dancers and an appearance on a newly built tram line. Only a day before, the route had to be altered because of multiple protests. That underscored the country's complicated feelings about hosting the Summer Games.

"The people in Brazil are a little bit divided," said Gustavo Tsuboi, a member of Brazil's table tennis team. "Some are supporting the Olympic Games. Some are thinking we have other priorities. But I think once they start, almost everybody will support the Games."

The Rio organizing committee has long agreed, predicting the city will follow the pattern of so many previous Olympic hosts. Months of delays, complaints and inconveniences will fade once the Games get underway, with citizens embracing the party atmosphere.

The committee announced Monday that 80 percent of tickets for all Olympic events have been sold, easing some concerns after earlier reports of slow sales. Some corners of Rio displayed lots of outward signs that the Summer Games were only two days away, while it was hard to tell in other areas.

There were fewer reports of problems with the rooms in the athletes' village and more national flags and banners draped from the high-rise buildings. Around the Olympic Park, banners with the Rio 2016 logo, mascots or the Games slogan — Um Mundo Novo, a new world — hung from light poles.

But other parts of the area appeared surprisingly drab for a country so associated with vibrant color and spectacle. Along a stagnant, trash-filled canal running near the park, the sod that had been laid to dress things up had turned dry and brown, shrinking to reveal the seams between.

The Olympic atmosphere also waxed and waned along crowded Copacabana Beach, which will host beach volleyball, triathlon and open-water swimming. Wednesday afternoon, tourists and natives took selfies at the giant Olympic rings near the beach volleyball stadium. Entrepreneurs sold everything from pencils to fedoras to umbrellas, with vendors of whistles demonstrating how to blow the staccato notes that Brazilians will be tooting at Olympic venues. The country's athlete delegation will be its largest ever, with 462 competitors.

Rio Olympic officials say 85,000 security personnel will be on duty throughout the Games, and some of those were stationed along Avenida Atlantica, Copacabana's main thoroughfare. There were soldiers in fatigues brandishing automatic rifles at some corners, black-clad police in body armor at others. A warship — now a standard feature of Olympic security plans — was standing guard in the bay.

A man dressed in a Brazilian soccer uniform posed for photos outside the Olympic souvenir superstore at Copacabana, which wasn't particularly crowded. Only about two dozen people were in line at 4:15 p.m. Street vendors selling Rio 2016 T-shirts didn't seem to have many customers, either, and few people strolling the beach wore Olympic gear.

But few could resist the giant sand castles constructed along the walkway. The elaborate sculptures featured Brazilian flags, Olympic venues rendered in miniature, likenesses of mascots Tom and Vinicius and the five rings. They were available for photos, but only at a price.

One sculptor chased down people who snapped away without giving a donation. He knew only one word of English, but it did the trick. Asked whether he would take American money, he said yes.

Asked whether he was happy the Olympics were about to begin in Rio, he smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes," he replied, with the eagerness of a guy who — like Pele — couldn't wait for Rio to pull the curtain.