Olympic Flame extinguished by protesters in Rio

It was only a matter of time before the protests got to the Olympic torch.

Rio 2016 has its share of problems, and we’ve talked about all of them extensively. The economic crash has been bad on everyone, including teachers, who were a part of a protest that extinguished the Olympic flame as it came into Rio de Janeiro, according to The Guardian.

The runner will ultimately be okay, but had to be bussed out of the way of the protesters to safety. Philip Wilkerson, a Rio 2016 spokesman, deflected about the protests, saying that there are eight backup lanterns so that the flame is never truly extinguished.

The incident caused some runners to quit the relay, and the procession came to a grinding halt as protesters threw stones at cars and people. Police responded with tear gas and pepper spray as a countermeasure.

With the economic problems in Rio mounting, protests have as well. The teachers protesting were on strike because they haven’t received pay in two months.

The Rio Olympics are becoming increasingly controversial as we move closer to them. There are parts of the Olympic Village that aren’t finished, and Rio officials do not seem to care too much. The Zika virus is still present, and as a result of the slashed government budget, crime is happening at high rates. But hey, if you go to Rio, you’ll get to catch some Pokemon while you’re there, right (but not in the Olympic Village)? Hilariously enough, the most recent news out of Rio is that drug dealers are selling coke with the Olympic rings on the bags. Everything is fine.

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