Rio 2016 Olympic Games: the Process of Eviction and Resistance of Vila Autodromo's Residents

Abstract

Working-class evictions and displacements have been documented for several Olympic Games, pointing to the role of the International Olympic Committee in contributing to an increase in human rights violations. This article aims to report and to discuss an eviction process carried out by the government of the city of Rio de Janeiro during the preparations of the 2016 Olympic Games. The focus is on the community of workers from Vila Autodromo (Barra da Tijuca), who endured a long process of displacements between 2009 and 2016 and is, to date, the only worldwide documented community that has resisted a displacement process during an Olympic Games. Interviews conducted with Vila Autodromo's residents and supporters lead to the conclusion that the Games were used as a mechanism for major infrastructural changes in Barra da Tijuca to increase the land values for private gains.