There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2016 Olympics, which are set to kick off tonight in Rio de Janeiro. The games will feature amazing female athletes from across the globe, and for the first time, a team of inspiring refugee athletes will get to compete, too.
But there's also been a lot of negative talk about this year's games. From concerns about the Zika virus to delays in getting the Olympic Village ready in time, many have criticized the choice of Brazil as this year's host country.
But this isn't the first year things haven't gone exactly according to plan. From pollution issues in Beijing to stray dogs in Sochi, other host countries have had their fair share of problems. Plumbing issues in Rio's Olympic Village, for example, bring to mind journalists' tweets about their less-than-stellar Russian hotels during the 2014 Winter Olympics, which included yellow water, broken doorknobs, and locked stairwells.
Ahead, we've rounded up some of the most horrifying, and in some cases, tragic, things that have gone wrong during previous Olympic Games. In retrospect, Rio's issues don't seem so bad.
Want to follow along to see which country will take home the most gold medals this year? Refinery29 has you covered here.
Athens' Struggle To Fill Seats, 2004
In August 2004, CNN reported that the Olympics' organizers had sold just 2.9 million tickets, out of 5.3 million. The organizers vowed not to give tickets away for free to make up for the loss — and TV viewers noticed the empty stadium during some of the events.
Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images.
Bomb Blasts In Athens Ahead Of The Olympic Games, 2004
Just 100 days before the Olympics, three bomb blasts in the city caused serious building damage, overshadowing planned celebrations to mark the 100-day countdown. The damages raised questions about Athens' preparedness to host the games, CNN reported in 2004.
Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images.
Beijing's Air Pollution, 2008
Beijing's air pollution is an ongoing problem, but it caused major concern for the 2008 Olympics. A smog cloud overtook the city's national stadium, and China announced an emergency smog plan ahead of the games. The plan included closing factories and construction work to reduce pollution, CNN reported in 2008.
Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images.
Beijing's Security Concerns, 2008
Aside from the smog issues, Beijing's 2008 Olympics also created worry for security. Civil unrest in Tibet sparked fear of a terrorist attack at the Olympics, BBC News reported in 2008. The terrorism fears were augmented when 16 Chinese police officers were killed in an attack in Kashgar, in western China's Xinjiang region, prompting Chinese officials to declare the "highest alert" for the Olympics, The New York Times reported. Authorities also arrested 35 people suspected of involvement in a bomb plot connected to the Olympics, CNN reported.
Photo: PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images.
Vancouver's Lack Of Snow, 2010
Vancouver's warm winter didn't bode well for the 2010 Olympics. In the end, there was enough snow for the games — because it was hauled and airlifted in.
Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images.
Vancouver's Safety Concerns After The Death Of Nodar Kumaritashvili, 2010
Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luger, died after a fatal crash during Olympics training for the 2010 Winter Games. After the crash, he died in a hospital just hours ahead of the games' opening ceremony. The crash led to safety concerns, but an investigation from the Olympics' organizing committee and the International Luge Federation found that there was "no indication the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track," ESPN reported.
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images.
London's Korean Flag Mix-Up, 2012
At the 2012 Olympics in London, South Korea's flag was shown during a women's soccer match between North Korea and Colombia. The North Korean team refused to start playing when its athletes' names were shown next to the wrong flag, and the match was delayed for an hour, The Guardian reported at the time.
Photo: Stanley Chou/Getty Images.
Sochi's Hotel Woes, 2014
The 2014 Sochi Olympics came under scrutiny for a variety of reasons, including the double toilets in some bathroom stalls. But the host city's hotel issues were less amusing — several of the hotels intended for media were still undergoing construction. The issues led to journalists tweeting about less-than-ideal experiences, including broken doorknobs and a lack of running water.
Photo: Luca Bruno/AP Images.
Sochi's Stray Dogs, 2014
One of the most memorable things about the Sochi Olympics, though, were the reports of stray dogs around the games. Some of the dogs were brought to America for adoption, while others were reportedly killed.
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