The game of golf and its global image has a lot riding on the honesty and integrity of the mayor of a city in a Third World country.
That's a long shot, even by Vegas standards.The looming question, at least in golf circles, prior to and during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil was what was to become of the Olympic golf course after the games were over. Privatize it, play on it, plow it under were the three main options. More on that in just a bit, because those choices might seem minor compared with the latest political fallout related to the Olympic golf course.
Last Friday, a judge in Brazil ordered that the assets of Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes be frozen while authorities investigate allegations that he waived environmental fees required for building the course in the country's coastal wetlands.
According to records, developers should have paid impact fees equal to about $1 million for building the course in a coastal nature reserve. Paes, according to records, waived those fees to speed up construction of the course, which came in at $20 million.
Problems associated with the Olympic course only begin with environmental fees. Play has been slow, and the future of the course remains in doubt. Progolf, the company chosen to maintain the course, said it needs $80,000 per month just for upkeep. Problem is, that group hasn't been paid since the Olympics concluded.The 2016 Olympics have been wrought with controversy. The games were largely unpopular with many in Brazil. The world's fifth-largest country by population, Brazil also is one of the poorest countries in the world and has the largest concentration of rural poverty in Latin America.
Many thought the billions used to stage the Olympics, including $20 million to build the golf course, could have been used to improve the lives of the people of Brazil.
Paes said developers have been charged for all the necessary fees for construction of the golf course. They just have not paid them, he has said. Let's hope he's right.
Sidestepping impact fees to expedite construction of a golf course in an environmentally sensitive area is in direct conflict with the standards established by those who build and maintain golf courses, including owners, architects, builders, contractors and superintendents.
Ignoring the law and compromising wetlands at a high-profile project like the Olympic golf course gives every naysayer of golf one more rock to throw; one more opportunity to say "I told you so" in defense of their argument that golf is bad for the environment.
The judge, hoping to collect some of the funds, decided to freeze Paes' assets after it was learned the mayor, whose term ends this year, would be leaving the country in 2017 for a temporary teaching assignment at Columbia University in New York.
Alleged shenanigans surrounding construction of the Olympic golf course are not the first time such indiscretions have arisen in Brazil. In fact, they're not even the only misdeeds currently under investigation there. In November, police arrested another public official after he was charged with overbilling on construction contracts for projects associated with the 2014 FIFA World Cup, also held in Brazil
Competition that brings together the world's best players in any sport is a good thing, but the price cannot be fraud and graft by politicians that will overshadow these events for years.
Let's hope this Third World politician is telling the truth, but I wouldn't bet on it, and if you would, then I have some waterfront property for sale . . . in Brazil.