Rio Asks For Help Funding Olympics After Declaring Financial Emergency

Officials are attempting to avoid "a total collapse" in public services.

Photo: Buda Mendes/LatinContent/Getty

Rio de Janeiro officials requested help financing the summer Olympics after declaring a financial emergency on Friday, according to reports.

The city’s governor, Francisco Dornelles, asked for an undisclosed amount to assist in meeting their responsibilities in regards to public services during the summer games, which begin on Aug. 5, CNBC reports.

Additional funds are reportedly necessary to prevent “a total collapse in public, security, health, education, transport and environmental management,” according to a proclamation in the state’s Official Gazette, obtained by CNBC.

According to the BBC, Michel Temer, the interim president, has vowed to provide significant financial aid, as Rio is expected to host nearly 500,000 people for the Olympics.

Dornelles is reportedly blaming the financial emergency on a downfall in the oil industry, which the economy is largely dependent on.

While the city figures out it’s money issues, travelers, including athletes and media personnel face a tough decision in deciding whether or not to attend to the Olympics as the Zika virus continues to spread throughout Brazil.

In early June, American cyclist Tejay van Garderen and Today show host Savannah Guthrie – who is expecting her second child – both opted out of a trip to Rio as a result of the virus, which is especially dangerous for expectant mothers.

“If [my wife] were not pregnant right now, assuming I was selected, I would go,” Garderen, 27, told CyclingTips. “but the fact is, she is pregnant When she has a baby in her belly, I don’t want to take any chances.”