Rio Olympics will be a success, says Argentine President

Argentine President Mauricio Macri has described the criticism against Brazil for the organizational deficiencies surrounding the Olympic Games as "unfair" and said the event will be "a success".

"This aggression is unfair. The Games will be a success. They are our brothers, even though we have this maddening rivalry (in soccer). If they are discredited, we are all a little discredited," said Macri on Friday.

The president visited the press center at the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro on Friday morning, where he was interviewed by television channels TyC Sports and ESPN, reports Xinhua.

Macri said "it is an enormous honour and challenge to be chosen to organize" the 2018 Youth Games in Buenos Aires, and added that "perhaps they will be preparation for something bigger."

The president also said "the (Olympic) Torch is an incredible symbol," as he remembered the "success" when the Torch passed through Buenos Aires in 2008 before the Beijing Olympics.

"The Olympics at my school was a living nightmare because I didn't even come close to winning the bronze medal," joked the former president of Argentine soccer club Boca Juniors (1995-2007), while praising the athletes for their "physical condition."

Macri also spoke with Argentine tennis player Juan Martin del Potro, who will face World No.1, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, on Saturday.

"He (del Potro) meets all the criteria but this time there was not a very good draw. However, Juan Martin has the tools (to do well). The other player (Djokovic) is unbearable, he is a winning machine, he wins on any surface," said Macri.

Del Potro, the bronze medallist at London 2012 (who beat the Serb to the bronze medal), said he hoped for "a good match" and "that he could complicate things" for his opponent.

--IANS

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