There are plenty of issues the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro should be worried about heading into the 2016 Olympics, but he has Pokemon GO on his mind.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes has a lot on his mind lately. Between the economic crisis in Rio heading into the Summer Games, the fact that the Olympic Village is not finished, or that some of the best athletes are not attending the games due to pollution, he has plenty to worry about.
However, it is Pokemon GO that is of utmost importance to the mayor of the Olympics’ host city. He posted this out on his Facebook page on Wednesday:
According to Facebook, the post translates to “Hello, Nintendo! 23 days to go to the Olympics Rio 2016. The whole world is coming here. Come too!#Cidadeolímpica #rio2016#pokemongonobrasil”
The mayor’s wish is that visitors for the 2016 Rio Olympics will be able to catch Charmanders while enjoying the competition. Though the app is available in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, it is not yet available in Brazil.
His plea was directed at Nintendo, who launched the app on July 7 of this year. Since it’s launch, the app has been downloaded over 10 million times, and is available on Android and Apple. The app is already mapped all over the world, so it is ready for future launches.
The game is played by catching virtual creatures and training them so they can battle Pokemon held by other people. The app utilizes the smartphone’s camera.
The 2016 Rio Olympics will run from August 8-21, though there is no timetable for the app’s launch.
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