Eric Borja blogging from Rio de Janeiro

On Saturday June 15, I attended an event called the “Copa Popular Contra Remoções” (The People’s Cup Against Evictions). An event organized by the Comitê Popular da Copa e Olimpíadas (People’s Committee for the World Cup and Olympics) – an organization that challenges and questions the way in which these sports mega-events are taking place in Rio de Janeiro. Specifically, the group highlights the forced evictions in the city in preparation for the games. The Copa Popular was a tournament that served as a symbolic counterpoint to the opening of the Confederations Cup, bringing together communities across the city currently facing the threat of removal.

To learn more about the “Copa Popular,” such as its objectives and what the event meant to those who attended, then be sure to check out a post I co-wrote with Kate Steiker-Ginzberg on the blog Rio on Watch