There are only four months left before the 2016 Olympics kicks off in Brazil, but still, only one half of the tickets are sold, according to Richardo Leyser, Brazil's latest minister of sports. He is now searching for ways to increase ticket sales.
It would be an understatement to say that there would be a lot of empty seats at the Brazil Olympic Stadium if the situation does not improve.
To answer for the deficit in ticket sales, Leyser told Folha, a Brazilian newspaper, that the government may buy tickets that it will distribute to public schools. He stated that public officials should also try their best to promote global confidence in the ability of Rio to host the Olympic Games and ensure visitors' safety.
As the Olympics draws near, Brazil is descending into chaos, said a news report in March. There were widespread protests which sometimes grow violent due to Brazil's worst recession in 25 years.
The country's largest company is embroiled in a massive corruption scandal that involves a number of executives as well as some of the country's politicians. For these reasons, there is growing concern that the country will not be adequately prepared for this Olympic event.
The International Olympic Committee has even told CNN Money that it is "very closely" observing the unfolding of political events in Brazil.
It was chosen as the venue of the Olympic Games in 2009 when its economy was still booming. But now, Brazil is faced with a lot of challenges including political, economic and social issues.
"This was going to be the coming out party for Brazil," Paulo Sotero said. He is the director of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center. "This will probably be a scaled down party," he added.
The former sports minister of the country has resigned just a few days ago, and Leyser was tapped to take his place. It is now his responsibility to drum up interest on the 2016 Olympics and to boost ticket sales.
