Why most Brazilians believe Rio Olympics will hurt the country

Most Brazilians are pessimistic about impact on their country of the Olympic Games, scheduled to begin August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, according to a study by polling group Ibope published in the Estado de S.Paulo daily newspaper.

According to the survey, 60 percent of Brazilians believe the games, expected to cost about 40 billion reais ($12.2 billion), will bring more harm than good to Brazil, while 32 percent believe the games will bring more benefits to the country than losses, the paper reported.

Concern about the games has grown in Brazil as the country falls deeper into its worst recession in decades, Olympic preparations have been delayed or scaled back, and evidence of widespread corruption in construction contracts for Olympic infrastructure has been uncovered by police and the courts.

A similar study ahead of the soccer World Cup, held in Brazil in 2014, found that 43 percent of Brazilians were optimistic before the event, compared with 40 percent who were pessimistic.

The poll surveyed 2,002 people in all of Brazil between July 14 and 18.