A member of the US Olympic committee compared Brazil with Congo during their arrival in Brazil for the Pan American games. This episode furthers the bad image allot of South Americans have that Americas are arrogant and are incapable of finding most countries in world map other than the US and Mexico.

The USOC issued and apology and said the person was identified and is no longer part of the USOC delegation. The damage is done though.

USOC Apologizes To Brazil For "Welcome To The Congo" Joke

AHN News wrote:

July 7, 2007 6:46 p.m. EST

San Paulo, Brazil (AHN) - A U.S. Olympic Committee worker's attempt at a joke failed miserably recently when he scrawled the words "Welcome to the Congo" on a board at the organization's media center in Brazil which is holding the Pan American Games.
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;  the point is to discover them."
Galileo Galilei  (1564-1642)