CAMILA MATTOSO JOSÉ HENRIQUE MARIANTE SPECIAL ENVOYS TO RIO For the president of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), Thomas Bach, the Rio Olympics were iconic. In a press conference held on Saturday morning (20) to take stock of the event, the head of the committee said he would host the games in the city again. Before the games began, Bach made strong statements about the organization, saying it all had to do with "a very difficult time" due to the emergence of unforeseen problems, in a country that is dealing with "unprecedented political and economic crisis." The Rio 2016 Committee still does not know how much it will need to cover all of its costs. The federal and municipal governments have already said that they will exceed R$ 250,000 (US$ 77,000), in the form of sponsorships and agreements, during the Paralympics, scheduled to begin on September 7th. Bach refused to comment on that matter. When questioned about additional expenses and the use of public funds, he insisted that the Olympics were executed with private funds. Despite the praise, both for the organization and the caliber of the competitions, the president of the IOC acknowledged the various incidents that took place and said they are a reflection of reality. "I think you saw, by way of the images that were transmitted, that these were and still are iconic Olympic Games in several aspects. We saw athletes who were already icons become even stronger, like [Usain] Bolt and [Michael] Phelps as well as others who became icons here," said Bach. "Yes [I would do it again in Rio]. I think everything I have described proves that the Olympic Games have been iconic. The Olympics are not held in a bubble, they are inside of a city that has social problems, problems that will continue after the Olympics. The Olympics exist within reality and confront those challenges," he concluded. Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ Read the article in the original language +Latest news in English *Spectators Make a Joke Out of Protest Ban at Olympics *American Website Exposes Gay Athletes at Olympics and Receives Media Backlash *Highway Patrolman Assigned to Olympics Is Shot in Rio