A million people in the street railing against the government this month in more than 100 Brazilian cities? Not exactly what the International Olympic Committee envisioned when it awarded the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro, but that’s the unsettling reality with the Games now three summers away.
What began in Sao Paulo as a protest against transit fare hikes has become a widespread outpouring of anger and disgust against high taxes and corrupt politicians who are spending an estimated $30 billion on next year’s soccer World Cup and the Games at the expense of housing, health and education.
Meanwhile, Istanbul, which already was a long shot to host the 2020 Summer Games, hasn’t been helped by the government crackdown on protesters, which continued last weekend. Full story for BostonGlobe.com subscribers.
John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com; material from Olympic committees, sports federations, personal interviews, and wire services was used in this report.
