Dein erstes Forum » Gorman said.We have talked to the integrity un

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Rio de Janeiro Olympics are still just over five weeks away. But they become a tangible reality on Friday when one of their so-called Mega souvenir shops opens on Copacabana Beach.Bring plenty of cash, at least for anything more than a keychain that sells for 25 Brazilian reals ($8). A bikini with the Olympic logo will cost about $100, and a commemorative gold medal at just over $2,000. A bottle of Brazilian wine -- hardly world-famous -- with an Olympic logo lists for $40.Olympic merchandising is big business.Rios head of licensing and retail sales, Sylmara Multini, says organizers hope to sell merchandise worth about 1 billion Brazilian reals ($310 million) to Olympic visitors.Our products are very top quality products and we feel this is a fair price for them, Multini told The Associated Press.Multini said Rio will operate 132 stores around town during the Olympics, many of which will be small kiosks like the six to be set up at the famous Maracana stadium. She said all of the stores are operated by individual companies, which pay royalties to the organizing committee.We dont own the stores, and we dont set the prices, Multini said.Multini talked up the beachwear on sale- the flip-flops, the beach towels, the swimsuits.This is first time in the games that we have such a substantial beach line, she said. It couldnt be anything different. Were in Copacabana. Were in Rio, and we believe these are the products that are really going to fly off the shelf.Brazil is in the midst of its steepest recession since the 1930s. As reporters were shown the souvenir store on Thursday, across town some of the citys soup kitchens for the poor were being closed.The governor of Rio de Janeiro says the state is broke, jeopardizing policing during the games. The completion of a subway line for the games is also in jeopardy. All state-run schools have been hit by teacher strikes. Hospitals are operating, but many workers are not being paid.The show for reporters also came a day after a mutilated body washed up on the beach, just a short walk from the merchandise tent and the beach volleyball venue.Alex Martins, cradling his 9-month-old daughter Camila, stopped by the store during a day at the beach. He said hed probably limit his gifts for Camila to a small stuffed animal for $40.I think this is will be very expensive for regular people here, Martins said. Maybe some will try to buy, but not many will be able to because of the bad economic times. This will be for tourists, I think.The 1,800 square-meter (19,300 square-feet) layout on Copacabana is one of the three largest souvenir stores for the games. The largest store will be a 5,000 square-meter (53,800 square-feet) store in the Olympic Park, while the Athletes Village shop will be 1,000 square-meters (10,750 square-feet).The Copa store could be a windfall for vendors operating kiosks up and down Avenida Atlantica, which runs the 4-kilometer (2.5 mile) length of Copacabana beach.Any Merci works at the kiosk just outside the store -- located between Posts 3-4 on the beach -- and serves up machete-opened coconuts and $4 caipirinhas to thirsty customers. Shes worked around the beach for a dozen years and has never seen business this bad.This last year has been horrible, she said. Im hopeful well do some business, but Im not sure how hopeful we should be.Juliana Mesquita worked alongside Any on Thursday. She senses the possibility for a good few months.Were looking for the foreigners to come by and spend something here, she said. I hope they dont spend it all inside (the store).---This story has been corrected to show that the commemorative gold medal costs just over $2,000 rather than around $3,000.---Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade Tom Meschery Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Lenny Wilkens Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. https://www.supersonicsjerseys.com/580s-jim-mcilvaine-jersey-supersonics.html . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. John Johnson Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Custom Seattle Supersonics Jerseys . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Cronulla boss Lyall Gorman has been forced to defend the NRL clubs handling of the Andrew Fifita affair.The NRL integrity unit continues to investigate Fifitas messages of support for convicted killer Kieran Loveridge amid claims the Sharks are stalling on the investigation until after the season is over.The loss of Fifita would be a significant blow to the Sharks premiership hopes.But in speaking on Triple M on Sunday, Sharks CEO Gorman denied that was the clubs primary motivation.We are not trying to keep him on the field, Gorman said.We have talked to the integrity unit. I would have spoken to (investigator) Karen (Murphy) four or five times this week trying to bring it to a conclusion.They say they are not in a position to do so and I will continue to work with them until they are.Gorman said the Sharks showed last year they were not afraid to discipline players when Fifita was stood down for six matches and fined $30,000 for abusing a junior referee.Our club will never hide froom anything, you have seen us take action in the past, he said.ddddddddddddWe have assessed it as it is. We have made our judgments at the moment.It is nothing to do with keeping any player on the field.If there was a reason for a player to be stood down we would stand them down.Gorman claimed the Sharks had kept a low profile in their investigations because of its impact upon the Kelly family.Loveridge is serving a 10 year prison sentence for the coward punch manslaughter of Thomas Kelly.It has been a very hard one, probably the hardest one I have ever had to manage because of the Kelly family, Gorman said.My heart bleeds for them. I have been in a not dissimilar situation in my own personal life.One of the reasons we havent given it a lot of air time is out respect to them (the Kelly family).It has been a gross error of judgement obviously from Andrew. ' ' '