'Mugging' scene in Rio Games ceremony sparks controversy

A scene in the Rio Olympic opening ceremony that spectators at a rehearsal thought depicted an attempted mugging of supermodel Gisele Bundchen sparked a bizarre polemic in Brazil.   Details are top secret ahead of this Friday's ceremony.   However, leaks following a dress rehearsal at Rio's Maracana stadium late Sunday included multiple reports of a skit in which a mugger attempts to rob the Brazilian supermodel before police intervene and she forgives her assailant.   Ceremony organizers lashed out at the reports, saying they were inaccurate and violated requests to keep the content of the extravaganza under wraps until the last moment.   Brazilian newspapers, however, quoted witnesses saying that they were sure that the scene showed an attempted street robbery -- a surprising choice in an Olympic host city plagued by real life crime.   According to Folha de Sao Paulo daily, the Brazilian model struts out to "Girl from Ipanema," a classic hit song celebrating a beautiful, young woman of Rio, and is "assaulted by an actor."   "The final message from the scene, however, will be peace," the report said.   One of the show's masterminds, "City of God" movie director Fernando Meirelles, angrily denied the report.   "Folha de SP says Gisele is assaulted during the opening ceremony at the Olympics. Where does Folha get this dumb idea from? They messed up badly," he tweeted.   The Olympic organizing committee told AFP in a statement only that "there is no robbery," declining to explain further.   Bundchen retired from the runway in 2015 as the world's highest paid model. Married to NFL star quarterback Tom Brady, she remains active in fashion and is one of Brazil's biggest celebrities.   Rio de Janeiro is hosting South America's first Olympic Games. Security is a major issue, with thousands of troops patrolling the streets, as well as heavily reinforced police.   According to official statistics, murders in Rio de Janeiro state rose 17 percent to 2,470 in the first half of this year. Street robberies rocketed, up 34 percent to 58,999 incidents.

  Depictions of police confronting criminals would likely raise eyebrows.   Rio state officers killed at least 645 people last year and over 8,000 over the last decade, Human Rights Watch said in a study last month. They are also accused of frequently tampering with evidence to cover up killings by officers.  

Source: AFP