Olympics

Rio Olympics will have some extra bite

Let's take a look at the weird and wacky road to the Olympics, where organizers are spicing up events in exciting new ways (waiver signatures may be required).

People arrested for selling tickets they don't have

Alligators on golf courses are nothing new. But it adds a new dimension to an already challenging Rio landscape for the 2016 Olympics. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Let's take a look at the weird and wacky road to the Olympics, where organizers are spicing up events in exciting new ways (waiver signatures may be required).

Adding some bite to your swing

Pro golfers received some exciting news this week, when officials on both the men's and women's tours confirmed that the gold medal winners in each event in Rio will automatically qualify for all of next year's majors.

Bonus: They may also meet some cute little alligators on the course.

As with most things that have happened during the buildup to the Rio Olympics, organizers possibly didn't consider some things: most importantly, that their shiny new course is surrounded by lagoons, home of many exotic creatures, including ornery alligators.

In fact, according to a report in Reuters, the course is just a few miles from the neighbourhood of Jacarepegua, which means Alligator Lagoon.

(It's a good thing Happy Gilmore won't be playing for gold in Rio.)

According to reports, there will be at least five biologists on hand to "escort" wayward animals off the course if they wander too close.

To reiterate: Yes, this is all true.

A markup of nothing is…going to get you arrested

Here's a follow-up from last week, when we noted that scalpers were already selling Olympic tickets, despite the fact that no tickets have actually been distributed yet.

Well, they've been arrested.

So in summary, Brazilian police have arrested people for selling tickets they don't have, and charged them with crimes they don't want.

Again, you can buy tickets directly from the Rio Olympics website, at face value. More than half are still available.

Getting away from it all

Have your heard the one about the U.S. men's and women's basketball teams in Rio? Staying in a cruise ship instead of the Olympic village – or, you know, a hotel?

It's possible the move has nothing to do with security issues, crime, the Zika virus, the swine flu outbreak, city infrastructure, the threat of protests, or protecting pro athletes literally worth billions of dollars. Right, it's possible it has nothing to do with that – and everything to do with space considerations.

"We don't stay in the village because we don't feel it's the best way to prepare for competition," said Craig Miller, a spokesman for USA Basketball. "The players have a long professional season and they want to spend as much time as possible with family and friends."

Miller refrained to say how many biologists will be on hand to "escort" wayward locals away from the cruise ships if they wander too close.

Circular logic

Looking ahead four years to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a different kind of weirdness is emerging. The organizing committee has narrowed down the finalists for their Olympic logo:

  1. Circle made up of squares and rectangles
  2. Guy making a circle with his body
  3. Guy surrounded by five circles
  4. Circle in a…flower probably (No guy is present)

Vote now