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Column: Dave Schwartz reflects on his Rio Olympics experience

Maybe at some point we'll stop doing this. We'll stop whatever it is that compels us to scrutinize the city the Olympic games are in to the point that athletes and fans choose not to attend. 

Dave Schwartz found the Olympic rings on Copacobana Beach.

Maybe at some point we'll stop doing this.

We'll stop whatever it is that compels us to scrutinize the city the Olympic games are in to the point that athletes and fans choose not to attend. The games have become less of a celebration of national pride and more of a slanderous discussion of why the host city isn't good enough.

This phenomena isn't new. It happened before Sochi. We tore down that city and that country to the point that almost no one attended the games (although I'm sure travel had something to do with that as well). Athletes and media members alike were encouraged not to have family attend since terrorism was a likely possibility. When in reality the only terror being spread was from our own televisions and newspapers. And wouldn't you know it- the games went off without a hitch. Never once did I feel a threat. The Russian people were kind, and very aware of their position on the national stage. I recall being asked more than once if "I was having a good time?" And if I would "share that with my viewers back home."

Surely we learned our lesson here after Sochi?

Nope.

In 2016 we were warned of mosquitos carrying Zika virus -- despite it being winter in Rio which routinely sees a drop in the critters during that time.

We were warned of robberies, thefts and kidnappings. So we stayed in groups, traveled only during the daylight and on well populated streets. There were police and military personal every 10 feet. And again, we were all fine. No one in our group was hurt, robbed, taken or assaulted. We were smart and stayed vigilant. You know the same kind of behavior you'd exhibit in many U.S. cities as well.

Yes there is poverty in Rio but there is also beauty and plenty of warm, wonderful people who were happy the games were there. I talked at length one day with Phillipe, a student at a local university who was working for the Olympic Broadcast Systems. He told me that he felt like he lived in two worlds. There was his work world at the Olympics where people were happy and prosperous and then his home life with people beaten down by the struggle of living a tough life. But he, like many others, embraced the opportunity to show the world that there is good in Rio. While he wished his government would have used the money to help its poverty stricken population, he hoped that this would shine a good light on his nation and mark the beginning of a new, better period for the country.

Even as we left Rio we were pleasantly surprised with their preparedness. Thousands of journalists, athletes and tourists left at once from Galileo airport. They advised us to leave six hours early for our flight. So we did. And at 4 p.m. in the afternoon were through security, customs and got to our gate in an hour and a half. Considerably less time than it took us to leave Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at 5 a.m. three weeks earlier.

While Rio was far from perfect it was, for the most part, perfectly fine. I leave with some wonderful memories and pictures and the thought that I might even return some day with my family for a trip.

When you put a gemstone under a microscope at a high enough magnification, you're bound to find some impurities. Rarely does that lead to it being thrown in the trash. Could we adopt the same policy for the Olympics? Instead of searching for things that could go wrong, we could just wait and see if they do. Certainly I'm not suggesting walking in blindly to a bad situation, what I am saying is let's open our minds and wait before we rush to judgment and call something an imminent disaster.

Maybe then we can celebrate the games from the beginning instead of be surprised and sorry at the end.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dave Schwartz has covered the last two Olympics for KARE 11 in Sochi, Russia (2014) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2016).

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