ABSTRACT

Over the next few years the international news media’s attention will almost inevitably turn to one country in South America. Why? Because Brazil is set to host the 2014 World Cup and Rio de Janeiro the 2016 Olympics. Like their predecessors, these rituals of international sport will be televised and watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world. For some, these are expressions of a new global religion, which has even gone so far as to replace traditional forms of worship. Instantaneous images, slow motion replays and high definition pictures will bring the vast arenas into homes, bars and cafes, anywhere with a connected small or large screen. One icon has already been used on many occasions to represent the location of these sporting events. Even better known than Rio’s Estádio do Maracanã (Maracanã stadium), where the deciding game of the 1950 World Cup was played, this statue is inextricably connected with Rio, and looks down from Corcovado (‘Hunchback’) Mountain: it is known as Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer).