RIO DE JANEIRO -- So the plumbing and electricity in the athletes village took several days to fix. Who cares?But no Pokemon Go? Thats an outrage!If there were ever a more First World problem for the Zika-plagued, water-polluted Rio Olympics, its Brazils lack of access to the hit mobile game, which has united players the world over.Since debuting to wild adulation in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand this month, the game from Google spinoff Niantic Inc. has spread like wildfire, launching in more than 30 countries or territories -- but not Brazil.For athletes and other visitors caught up in the wave, not having access is just one more knock against an Olympics that officials are racing to get ready. The opening ceremony takes place next Friday.I wish I could run around in the (athletes) village catching Pokemon, New Zealand soccer player Anna Green said Friday. I just cant get it on the phone. Its fine, but it would have been something fun to do.What will she do instead? Train, she replied.Niantic didnt reply to a request for comment on when the game might be released in Brazil. And though social media rumors point to a Sunday release for the game, similar rumors in Japan resulted in heightened expectations and the sense of delay before its debut there last week.This week, British canoer Joe Clarke tweeted -- with a broken-hearted sad face -- a screenshot of his player on a deserted map near the rugby, equestrian and modern pentathlon venues in Rios Deodoro neighborhood. The map was devoid of PokeStops -- fictional supply caches linked to real-world landmarks. No Pokemon monsters to catch either: There was nary a Starmie nor a Clefairy to be found.Sorry guys no (hash)pokemon in the Olympic Village, tweeted French canoer Matthieu Peche, followed by three crying-face emoji. Getting equal billing in his Twitter stream was a snapshot of a letter of encouragement from French President Francois Hollande.Players with the app already downloaded elsewhere appear to be able to see a digital map of their surroundings when they visit Rio. But without PokeStops or Pokemon, the game isnt much fun. It would be like getting on a football field -- soccer to Americans -- but not having a ball to kick or goals to defend.Many competitors in the athletes village took it in stride, though. Canadian field hockey player Matthew Sarmento said it would give him more time to meet other athletes. But he would have welcomed Pokemon during downtime in competition, adding that sometimes its good to take your mind off the important things and let yourself chill.Athletes might not get Pokemon, but theyll have access to 450,000 condoms, or three times as many as the London Olympics. Of those, 100,000 are female condoms. Officials deny that its a response to the Zika virus, which has been linked to miscarriages and birth defects in babies born to women who have been infected.In Pokemon countries like the U.S., PokeStops are being used to attract living, breathing customers. In San Francisco, for example, dozens of bars, restaurants and coffee shops have set up lures that attract rare Pokemon, along with potential new patrons looking to catch them.Thats presumably one reason why Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes -- plagued by a host of bad news from player robberies to faulty plumbing -- urged Niantic investor Nintendo to release the game in Brazil.Everybody is coming here. You should also come! Paes wrote in Portuguese on his Facebook page , adding the hashtag (hash)PokemonGoNoBrasil -- Pokemon Go in Brazil.His post generated responses such as this: The aquatic Pokemon died with superbugs.Paes didnt respond to requests for interviews.One video circulating virally, with more than 3.5 million views, shows one fan identifying himself as Joel Vieira questioning how Brazil can host the Olympics but not Pokemon.I cant play! I am not allowed to know how it really feels to see the little animals on my cell phone, he said on the video . Because we dont have it in Brazil, yet. But we are having the Olympics.The Olympics kick off next Friday. Will Pikachu be there to witness it? The world is watching with baited Poke-breath.---Business Writer Ryan Nakashima reported from Menlo Park, California. AP writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Rio de Janeiro also contributed to this story. 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The reporting for this piece was done in Spanish and Portuguese. The story was originally written in Spanish. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Vidigal favela has some stunning views.Its steep and narrow streets wind upward toward the sky. It is only from up there that you can clearly appreciate the beauty of a unique landscape. The mountains lie to the left, their peaks temporarily shrouded in rainless clouds. The vast Atlantic Ocean stretches out in front and, to the right, a number of small islands make the view even more beautiful. In the middle, a cluster of colorful, overlapping houses that, from this height, appear to be made from paper maché. In the background, the beach, where the sea laps the sand, and the sand gives way to asphalt which in turn gives way to tall glass buildings, in this place far from the favela.Up here, some people with torn shirts and weathered skin rest their forearms on the wooden balconies and cannot help but be taken in by the view every time they look out. A couple of kilometers away, the same views enjoyed by one of Rio de Janeiros more than 700 favelas will set you back 1,000 reais per night (around $300). In Brazil, luxury and poverty are close neighbors separated by nothing more than air. Down below, the haves; above, the have nots. They all share the same beauty.Filgueira is a military policeman who prefers not to admit how badly things are going for the federal police, who continue to make headlines thanks to protests in which they are campaigning for higher wages in line with the risks they face. Filgueira avoids the issue and, when he explains the main reason he enjoys his work in Vidigal, he points his finger and nods toward the landscape. As if this visual spectacle provides him with enough satisfaction while he does his job in one of Rios drug trafficking hot spots. Vidigal is better now, he told me, with some diplomacy.Near the entrance to the favela, a blue building is daubed with graffiti including a phrase that reads, All In | The Fight Institute. As if it were the slogan for everyday life in the community, Raff Giglio chose this name for the school he founded 20 years ago. Today, it is the cradle of Brazilian Olympic boxing. At the entrance, six little girls are trying to dodge a worn-out old ball. They burst out laughing. Giglio spends a little time with them while inside one of the volunteers from his academy teaches the boys. His mission is to offer them a solution to the difficult reality of life in Vidigal through free boxing lessons.He complains loudly, the government does nothing for the kids in the favelas. Alternately, his speech is interspersed with a genuine gratitude that comes from the pleasure of his work. The satisfaction of accomplishment, to receive a mission to one day go to the favela and be able to help the kids. Thats what Im doing. They pay me by winning a medal. Here, profe, theres the Olympic medal. Giglio has plenty to say on the subject of Esquiva Falc?o, whom he spotted as a youngster at a championship in S?o Paulo. Upon hearing shortly after that Falc?o had stopped competing, he took charge of the situation.He lived in the state of Espirito Santo. I brought him to Rio de Janeiro at the age of 17 to live in my gym, Giglio said. I gave him food, a shower, training so that he could continue boxing. In 2007, he took part in his first national championship where he won the silver medal. In 2008, he was called up to Brazils senior team, and from there things just continued upwards.Three Olympians, hundreds of lives cut shortFalc?os journey took him up beyond the heights from where you can contemplate Vidigals stunning views. He won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he lost to the Japanese fighter, Ryota Murata, by one point.When Esquiva arrived back from London, his first stop was Brasilia for a reception with the president of the Republic. Before going to Espirito Santo he came to Vidigal and headed to my gym: Hey man, the medal. I almost fell over, boasted Giglio.dddddddddddd I produce champions, the national team doesnt create athletes. When the athlete becomes national champion, they get picked. Patrick [Louren?o] and Michel [Borges] are two examples, he added.Louren?o and Borges are set to compete in this edition of the Olympic Games on home soil, in front of their fans, a few kilometers from the place where they first honed their footwork before being selected for the national team. Giglio plays a crucial role in the chain of developing boxers. He sows the seed and waters it for years so that it is ready to change hands once it blooms. At the All in the Fight Institute they learn to be disciplined, to work hard, to disconnect from extremely difficult situations that often require them to set their passion aside in order to earn a living for their families.They are hard lives because they are all living in the favelas. They experienced very bad situations when there was drug trafficking and all those things, Giglio said. They are poor kids with no money who cannot afford a gym. Everything here is free and we give them an opportunity to pursue a better life. Here we work to educate through sport so that the kids have an opportunity that the government does not give them. We work to ensure they have a chance to continue as a good person, a person who is a good son, a good father, a person who can walk down the street with their head held high. They could also be a great boxer.The younger ones look up to Falc?o, Borges and Louren?o. The latter will compete in this edition of the Games in the 49-kilogram light flyweight class, while Borges will compete in the 81-kg heavyweight class.Donation of the dayThe volunteer who is observing the boys technique stops for a moment and hands Giglio two pairs of gloves. He looks at them from every angle, turns them around, puts them on his wrong hands and sets them aside ... all this while smiling from ear to ear.This donation came from S?o Paulo, he says.The fact that someone shares his altruistic cause is another battle won in his solitary work. The revenue to maintain the gym and the equipment used by the youngsters comes from donations by individuals or companies. They currently have no sponsor and any help is welcome for Giglio, who describes himself as a dreamer who came close to throwing in the towel.I went through some very tough times when I thought about quitting, he says. I have a family, I have daughters, four daughters, and several times I thought I had to look for work, I had to earn money for my family. Something told me not to stop, to keep going: work and things will turn out well.I carried on and carried on some more, and the lesson was just that, to believe in the dream and continue working with discipline.The discipline he learned in judo, he passes on to his boys. The intense stubbornness that has earned him a name not only in Vidigal but outside the favela he made his home two decades ago. He used to have his gym in Leblon, closer to Copacabana. He lost it as a result of problems with the local authorities and settled in this community where he has rebuilt his emotional and professional life.The sun sets in the west, but looking from the east it has been hidden behind the mountains for some time. The lights come on at the foot of Vidigal. Darkness descends, but not before delivering a festival of colors beneath the illuminated mantle of those overlapping houses. Another day draws to a close and some people sit and watch the womens soccer match between Brazil and China (3-0) with a cheap beer.Others head home with bags in hands while some cars give way to others due to the narrow road. The motorcycles do their own thing. Giglio closes the doors of his gym. There are no girls playing at the entrance now, just a constant stream of adults. Filgueira, the military policeman, insists on jumping in our car and escorting us to the exit of the favela. ' ' '