BRAZIL IN THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT

Brazilians are watching the London 2012 Olympics in the knowledge that it will be their turn next in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Television in the South American country is showing the likes of swimming, riding, athletics and shooting morning till night, and locals are coming to realise that there is more than just football in the world of sport.
Up to 14 pages a day are dedicated to London 2012 in the special supplements of Brazilian newspapers. In bars, cafes, restaurants and waiting rooms, there are TV sets that hardly show anything other than the "Olimpiada."
Only the sporting success of the next Olympic hosts is lagging behind expectations. Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo had said he expected 20 medals: so far they have won one gold, one silver and four bronzes.
Team Brasil got three medals on the first day of the Games but by Saturday evening had picked up only three more including a judo gold for Sarah Menezes.
Over the past four years, a total of 390 million dollars were devoted to preparing the country's Olympic team for London 2012, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), told the Sports Committee of the country's Congress in early July.
However, in the face of a lack of success, disappointment is increasing, and expenses are being criticised too. In Beijing 2008, Brazil won 15 medals (3-4-8), and it expected to build on that.
The goal of 20 medals appears too ambitious, but Brazilians are still standing by their 259 Olympians in London. They know that their performance will also be important in four years' time, when Rio becomes the first South American city ever to host the Games.
The mood, however, is very different from that of major football matches, a lot less exuberant: as judoka Sarah Menezes won her gold, there were no firecrackers and no fireworks.
Cariocas, as locals of Rio de Janeiro are called, even have public viewing of the Games. At Parque da Quinta da Boa Vista in northern Rio there is an 80-square-metre screen which is showing the Olympics live until they end on August 12.
Of course, there are also live shows and music: such outdoor events come naturally to Brazilians. Organisers hope to host up to 20 000 people per day.
"We show all disciplines, even those that we are not normally used to watching or even practising. We want to plant a seed, since we are hosting the next Games," said head organiser Marcia Band.
Riding, weightlifting, diving, synchronized swimming or hockey are disciplines that most Brazilians do not normally have access to. For most, football is and remains the leading sport, and fortunately for fans their Olympic Selecao is doing well in London.
The team around rising star Neymar has reached the semifinals, which is almost taken for granted in Brazil but is still cause for satisfaction.
"Brazil is winning easily and at a medium pace and is on course to an unprecedented gold (in Olympic football)," the daily Folha de Sao Paulo said in a headline, perhaps too early.
Indeed, when it comes to football, Brazilians get emotional. It is understandable, since they have won a record five World Cups. And, after all, Brazil is set to host the 2014 World Cup before Rio gets the Olympics in 2016.