Rio de Janeiro – Now that Brazil‘s President Dilma Rousseff has been suspended and the political scenario is much clearer, the atmosphere in the country might become in favor of the Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee affirmed Thursday that the Games will be a success as reported by CNN.

Officials said there was strong support for the event set to get started on Aug. 5 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and expressed they were looking forward to joining efforts with the new Government to present successful Games this summer.

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Facing impeachment, Brazil President Dilma Rousseff’s approval ratings have collapsed. Above, Rousseff attends a meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, on June 5, 2013. Image credit: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters/Slate

“Now that the political focus has moved forward, the games will greatly benefit,” as Mario Andrada, the spokesman for the local organizing committee, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

After a 20-hour debate, Rousseff was suspended Thursday for 180 days and is facing an impeachment trial that could end up removing her definitely from office. That means that she will not be able to serve as president when Brazil hosts its first Olympics.

Interim President Michel Temer will represent the nation at the Games but organizing officials told reporters that he is not scheduled to give a speech. Head of the organizing committee Carlos Nuzman and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will be in charge of that protocol duty.

Andrada said the organizing committee had been working hard to make the games happen despite the complex political situation and said he was confident the clearer atmosphere would lead him and his team to a single direction, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Bach noted that the political issues have less influence than before now that the Olympic Games have entered into an operational stage.

And Sergio Praca, a Brazilian who focuses on politics research at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, said the president’s suspension could rebuild bridges between the sports ministry and games organizers, according to the Washington Post’s article.

However, Praca pointed out that Brazilians were far from excited about the Olympic Games, even after Rousseff’s impeachment was made known. There is no advertising, few signs of paraphernalia can be seen in Rio and people are just not talking about the event, in which the country is expected to take 25 medals.

He attributed the apathetic mood to the fact that the Olympic Games are not considered as relevant as soccer’s World Cup.

Rousseff says she is ‘the victim of a great injustice’

In less than an hour, Rousseff talked to reporters inside the presidential palace and gave a particularly fiery speech to supporters outside after 55 of 81 senators voted to begin impeachment trial against her, CNN reported.

She presented herself as a strong woman who will keep fighting and told the crowd she was “the victim of a great injustice”. She admitted that she had made mistakes, but remarked she had not committed any crimes and affirmed she had always “followed the law to the letter”.

Rousseff, who remains as the president by law and will still be paid at least half of her salary, claimed her government had been intensely sabotaged by her opponents ever since she took office, according to the report by CNN.

She is accused of violating budget rules. A special Senate committee is in charge of investigating the accusations against her and that process could be done as late as November. Rousseff’s team will then have 20 days to present her defense so the committee can vote on a final decision and then present it for a vote in the full Senate.

Source: Washington Post