Stephen Colbert explains why the Rio Olympics are a ‘massive catastrophe’

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”/CBS/YouTube

Stephen Colbert pointed out some major red flags ahead of the Summer Olympics in Rio.

“I am pumped for the Rio games,” the “Late Show” host said on Tuesday’s episode. “They are less than two months away or never, because just yesterday, Rio’s acting governor warned the Olympics could be a ‘big failure,’ which could be an improvement because until yesterday it looked like a massive catastrophe.”

From construction problems, corruption, and violent crime to the looming threats of contagious disease, the games are in disarray.

The construction has been plagued by criminal price fixing and kickbacks, which has led to several top executives being charged or imprisoned.

“Though on the plus side for those executives, the prisons won’t be completed until 2036,” Colbert joked.

Then there’s the violent crime rate in the country. It’s so bad that a former player on Brazil’s soccer team discouraged international travelers from attending the games, saying, “Here you will be running the risk of your life.”

Also on Tuesday, first responders staged a protest over deep budget cuts.

That led to Colbert joking that Brazil’s new tourism slogan is: “Brazil: Come for the sport, stay because you’re dead.”

Then there’s the health crisis. Fear of catching the Zika virus has already led several athletes to pull out of the games. Others fear the virus’ effect on their ability to have children. Some male athletes are even freezing their sperm. Then there’s the pollution and deadly bacteria that have been found in the bays intended for the Olympic boat races.

“Boy, I would hate to work for a network that paid billions of dollars to broadcast that cluster-munch,” the CBS late-night host said, referring to Olympics broadcaster NBC.

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