Rio will move to a different beat in its bid to repair damaged Olympic brand

The contrast, of course, is somewhat illusory, as it turns out London 2012 wasn't exactly whiter than white after all. In fact, the total number of athletes found to have committed doping offences at those games now stands at a staggering 77, including plenty who made it onto the podium.

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It is also worth pointing out that large sporting events such as these often commence to a soundtrack of grumbles. You need only think back to the boycotts of Moscow in 1980 or Los Angeles in 1984 for evidence of that but this year's Brazilian bonanza is surely the case par excellence.

Let's just say the environment which the competitors will discover in Rio this summer is somewhat challenging. Months and months of hand-wringing over the unfolding global health emergency which is the Zika virus was bad enough, particularly amongst the golfing fraternity, where top stars like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth head the list of eligible sportsmen using health fears in this area as a subtext for opting out. Officials swear blind that a drop in mosquito numbers amid the dry, cooler weather in Rio should not deter an estimated travelling audience of 500,000.

Predictably, there were worries over infrastructure too, even if the Scottish public have enough on their plate worrying about Scotrail to lose to much sleep over the late opening of the metro line which will carry visitors from Rio's bustling city centre to the main games base of Barra de Tijuca. In addition to a collapsed main ramp at the Marina da Gloria, sailors like Scotland's Luke Patience have long since resigned themselves to dangerous levels of raw sewage in Guanabara bay.

Olympic athletes were feted in London but every last drop of games magic may be required to enchant a disgruntled local population. Posted missing from Friday's opening ceremony will be president Dilma Rousseff, who has been suspended since May 12 as she awaits an impeachment trial. There are fears over terrorism and crime.

But forget about the favelas; it is the International Olympic Committee which really has to prove it has its house in order if the world in general is to fall in love with the greatest show on earth all over again. Brave whistleblowers like Yulia Stepanova might have laid bare Russia's state-sponsored doping system, but the games begin to a backdrop of confusion over which of the rogue nation's sports people will be able to take part.

Whatever the merits or demerits of the IOC declining to take the World Anti-Doping Agency's advice and issue a blanket ban to all Russian competitors, so far all we have is a rather piecemeal and unsatisfactory solution, with each individual sport left to reach its own conclusions. Consequently even those Russian competitors who do take part will be unable to do so in an environment devoid of innuendo.

A bit like open water swimmers in Rio's infested waters, the best bet for all interested Scottish TV viewers is simply holding your nose about all this murky stuff and diving in to soak up the sporting spectacle of it all. Thankfully, a bumper 50-strong Scottish contingent will provide plenty of parochial interest to get swept up in and perhaps produce a couple of memorable moments to put on the national sporting mantlepiece.

Top of the list of usual suspects is Andy Murray, aiming to re-live his London 2012 experience and add to his compliment of golden postboxes. He must fend off the challenge of Novak Djokovic in his quest to retain the 2012 Olympic singles crown which opened the floodgates for his three Grand Slam wins, then dust himself down to pair up with his brother Jamie in pursuit of a remarkable doubles victory. Just for good measure there is another member of the extended Murray clan to consider in the form of 5,000m runner Andrew Butchart. The Dunblane native's girlfriend Caitlin is the daughter of Sam Watson, the fiancée of Andy and Jamie's dad Willie.

Butchart isn't the only Scottish distance runner worth casting an eye over in the next fortnight. Once it was Liz McColgan who took on the world at these major events; now Scottish medal hopes are borne on the slender shoulders of Laura Muir, a 23-year-old from Milnathort, in the 1,500m. The vet school graduate took a tumble at Glasgow 2014 but now runs stride for stride with track legends like Genzebe Dibaba.

Also dreaming of leaving Rio with a medal is Eilidh Doyle in the 400m hurdles. Twice a winner in the Diamond League this year, Doyle knows anything is possible if she can take everything in her stride pattern in the notoriously unpredictable hurdles, although the Hearts fan has promised no repeat of her infamous '5-1' Commonwealth Games celebration should it come to pass. Lynsey Sharp in the 800m, Steph Twell and Liz's daughter Eilish in the 5,000m, Chris O'Hare in the men's 5,000m and three Scottish men in the marathon will also give everyone a good run for their money.

Glasgow 2014 witnessed a flowering for Scotland's 'other' sports and some more of our main protagonists will go for glory here. Hannah Miley and Ross Murdoch will hope to make a splash in the pool, even if Murdoch will have to outgun his English adversary Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke to succeed. In rowing, Katherine Grainger will go for gold in her fifth Olympics, even if Lossiemouth resident Heather Stanning may have a greater chance of success.

Callum Skinner will do his best Chris Hoy impersonation by bringing home the British team sprint, David Florence will look to improve upon his canoe slalom silver from London, while Jennifer McIntosh will target gold in the shooting. The list doesn't end there.

Then there is the rest of the world - as the likes of Usain Bolt, Caster Semenya, Chris Froome and Neymar aim to add to their legend. The Rio games will move to a different beat from London but it should still be quite a party.