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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Environmental activists disrupt meeting on Olympics

Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO – IOC President Thomas Bach came to Rio de Janeiro to laud the city’s progress in getting ready for the 2016 Olympics. On Saturday, he came up against another side of the games: activists bursting into his hotel lobby to protest what they call environmental destruction brought on by the games.

As Bach and his executive board were wrapping up a 2 1/2-day meeting in Rio, a small group of protesters gathered outside the luxury hotel at Copacabana Beach holding signs that read “Thomas Bach is a nature killer” and “The city is not for sale.”

At least two women pushed their way into the lobby, with one blowing a loud whistle, shouting slogans and trying to grab an Olympic flag. Security guards tried to restrain the woman as she tussled with them and screamed “The thieves are upstairs,” referring to the IOC leaders meeting on another floor.

The scene was witnessed and recorded by about 100 journalists who were in the lobby waiting for the start of a Bach news conference.

The protesters were seeking to call attention to the numerous ecological issues associated with the games, including the construction of a golf course in what had been a nature reserve, and the severe water pollution in Guanabara Bay, the venue for Olympic sailing.

“We are open for a dialogue with everybody,” Bach said later, praising Brazilian organizers in their preparations for the games, and defended their record on the environment.

“All of this without the games would not have happened,” Bach said. “So, again, it’s clear evidence what a positive legacy these games are leaving in the infrastructure, the social, and in the environmental areas.”