With just half of tickets sold and only four months before kickoff, Brazil’s new minister of sports, Richardo Leyser, is looking into ways to boost ticket sales.
He told Brazilian newspaper Folha that the Brazilian government may purchase tickets that will be distributed to public schools. He said public officials must also work to boost worldwide confidence in Rio’s ability to host the games and ensure travelers’ safety.
So the answer to an expensive taxpayer-funded boondoggle is to make the taxpayers pay more for it. I’m sure that will solve the underlying issues 
The country is in the midst of a political upheaval and massive protests, and lawmakers are currently considering a request to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.
Leyser was tapped to replace Brazil’s former sports minister, who resigned just days ago.
The country’s economy is also collapsing, suffering the worst recession in 25 years.
It’s also unclear whether construction of the Olympic facilities will be finished as organizers havefaced steep funding constraints — the budget was slashed by $500 million in January.