Brazil's local press released on Friday the contents of a handbook distributed by the U.S. delegation to its athletes, advising them on how to prevent some dangers in Rio de Janeiro, where they compete at the XV Pan American Games.
According to newspapers who claim to have had access to the guide, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) describes Rio as a city where street crimes can take place at any time during the day or the night, even in areas regarded as not so dangerous.
The so-called "Delegation Handbook" enlists crimes like the " quicknapping" in which the victim is taken by an armed criminal up to a place, especially an ATM, where he/she can withdraw money to pay his/her own ransom.
Another "surviving tip" given by the USOC to delegation members is to avoid "good Samaritans" described as strangers who would pretend to offer help in order to try to take advantage of foreigners.
The Brazilian press also stated that, when it came to health care, the handbook tells the Americans to wear long-sleeved shirts and use repellents all the time, so as to stay protected from insects that transmit diseases. The same objective was shared by the recommendation not to dive in or drink freshwater.
In a press statement, the USOC argued that the book was made especially for the delegation, and is not available to others. The entity also refused to comment on or discuss its contents. At the end, it stressed that the group is spending "a wonderful time in Rio, a beautiful city."
Although none of the "expectations" raised by the guide were fulfilled, as the committee itself has not registered any of the incidents enlisted, on Wednesday evening The Pan Am Games' security forces were under the maximum alert due to an anonymous denunciation of an eventual terrorist attack against the U.S. women's football team.
According to the police, the information was "consistent enough" to affect the delegation's routine activities, especially because the Americans were going to play Brazil on Thursday afternoon in the women's football final, in a crowded Maracana Stadium.
Source: Xinhua
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