Rio Olympic Games kick off under cloud of insecurity.

Source: USA Today

Despite a slew of robberies and terrorism arrests in the weeks leading up to Friday's opening ceremony, U.S. officials say they are confident that Brazilian security forces can fully protect the Olympic Games.

Brazil has pooled its local, state and federal law enforcement to deploy 85,000 people to secure the Games, more than double the number used in London in 2012. American law enforcement has spent years training Brazilian officials and increased the level of information they share with their Brazilian counterparts.

On Friday, the country's leading newspaper O Globo reported that Brazil has increased that figure to 100,000 as news of violence has swept through Rio.

In recent weeks, the cases have added up:

*A New Zealand-born jiu jitsu fighter living in Brazil said he was kidnapped by corrupt police officers demanding money.
*A man vomited on a Chinese hurdler as part of a hoax to rob the Olympian and a cameraman.
*The Australian team was robbed of a laptop and Zika-protective team shirts during a fire evacuation at their Olympic housing.
*On Thursday night, a man whom police described as a Russian diplomat was involved in a scuffle with an alleged robber in the city when a gun went off, killing the assailant.
*And a sleeping firefighter was allegedly raped inside the Olympic Park near the velodrome, an indoor cycling arena.

The situation was exacerbated by the fact that many of the guest rooms for athletes and their trainers in the Barra da Tijuca Olympic Village were deemed unfit for use, forcing trainers from numerous countries to seek accommodation elsewhere to make room for the athletes.

"Every Olympic environment involves challenges, but from what we have seen thus far, the Rio Organizing Committee and the people of Brazil are ready to host a great Games," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said via email. "We can't wait to get started."

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/05/security-risks-fbi-arrests/88284932/