No Pokemon Go in Rio, athletes disappointed

Doping crisis and poor facilities might have shrouded Rio Olympics but it appears the inability to play artificial intelligence (AI)-based game Pokemon Go is bothering athletes the most.

Hundreds of sportspersons on July 31 moved into the Olympic Village that has 31 buildings and 3,604 apartments after the Rio Organising Committee said they had completed fixing the problems at the village.

But the sportspersons have been complaining the most about absence of Pokemons to capture.

Pokemon Go is available on Google Playstore and Apple's App Store in the US, Japan and Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Britain and Germany and yet to come to Brazil.

So the players from these countries who have the app are able to see a digital map of their surroundings when they visit Rio but not the gyms, Pokestops and Pokemons -- the soul of the game.

It would be like getting on a football field but not having a ball to kick or goals to defend, The Guardian reported on Monday.

Canadian field hockey player Matthew Sarmento said it would give him more time to meet other athletes.

But he said he would have welcomed Pokemon during downtime in competition, adding that "sometimes it is good to take your mind off the important things and let yourself chill".

"I wish I could run around in the (athletes') village catching Pokemon. I just can't get it on the phone. It's fine, but it would have been something fun to do," New Zealand football player Anna Green was quoted as saying.

In countries where Pokemon Go is available, Pokestops are being used to attract customers. Dozens of bars, restaurants and coffee shops have set up lures that attract rare Pokemon, along with potential new patrons looking to catch them, the report said.

Taking this into account, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes has urged the Pokemon developer to release the game in Brazil.

--IANS

sku/na/vt