Tickets to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics are only about 50% sold and Brazil is scrambling to increase their ticket sales. The 2012 London Summer Olympics were a complete sell out, pressuring Brazil even more to fill the empty seats. The Olympics are roughly four months away, and ideas are being thrown around to give the tickets away to Brazilian school children. The problem with this particular idea is that they do not produce any profits for the already struggling economy in Brazil. Brazilians are in the midst of their worst recession in nearly twenty-five years. “Brazil’s state-run oil company, Petrobras, has released its financial results for the last year, which include $2 billion written off due to corruption. The firm has been embroiled in huge cash for contracts scandal which has had far reaching political and economic consequences,” according to Brazil correspondent Wyre Davies. The blame has fallen upon their President and there is talk of a possible impeachment. Political unrest is high. The protests run far, wide, and are often very violent. The Zika virus, a virus which targets newborns and expecting mothers, is also turning away a number of potential ticket buyers. Currently, Ecuador is in a state of emergency and Brazil has even gone as far as to suggest their citizens avoid getting pregnant. As the fear of Zika strengthens and the Brazilian economy crumbles, ticket sales for the 2016 Olympics continue to flounder.