RIO DE JANEIRO — It is not uncommon for the Olympics to leave behind some unneeded facilities. Rio, however, is experiencing something exceptional: Less than six months since the Summer Games ended, the host city’s Olympic legacy is decaying rapidly.
Empty Olympics buildings abound, puncturing any uplifting buzz from the competitions last summer. At the Olympic Park, some stadium entrances are boarded up and screws are scattered on the ground. The handball arena is barricaded by metal bars. The broadcast center remains half disassembled. The warm-up pool is decorated with piles of dirt and puddles.