Fortaleza – Edgar Hubner, director general of the 2009 University Olympics and the Brazilian Olympic Committee’s general manager for events, gave a speech yesterday about Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, at the opening of the VI Brazilian Conference on University Sport. The event, held in the auditorium of the Faculdade Integrada do Ceará (FIC) university in Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará, covered themes such as infrastructure improvements, new venues and other legacies that the Olympic Games will bring to the city of Rio and the country. Hubner’s talk, which marked the beginning of the conference, was received by a large audience, with most of the auditorium’s 400 seats filled.

An International Olympic Committee video showing some of the highlights of the 2008 Beijing Games was played to the audience before Hubner’s talk began. Hubner then presented details of the Rio 2016 project and its plan to transform into reality the country’s dream of hosting the world’s greatest multi-sport event.

“Our goal is clear. We want to transform the Rio 2016 Olympic Games into a showcase for Brazil, with the eyes of the world fixed on our country. Our message is to expand the Olympic movement and ideals to Latin America, bringing the continents closer together through sport,” said Hubner, adding that the event has never been held in South America or Africa.

In Hubner’s view, Brazil’s resilient economy is an important string in the Rio 2016 bow. Brazilians are also well known and credible on the world stage in terms of organizing mayor events. After the success of the 2002 South American Games and the Rio 2007 Pan American Games, Brazil also won the race to host the 2011 World Military Games, the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, boosting the country’s status as a sports hub.

Hubner explained various points about the Marvelous City’s bid, including the dates for the Games: 5 to 21 August for the Olympics and 7 to 18 September for the Paralympics, with school holidays granted in Brazil during these periods. Sports venues was another topic covered. Hubner confirmed that 56% of them already exist, 20% will be built as permanent structures and 24% will be temporary. He also mentioned other advantages of the Rio 2016 bid, such as the revitalization of the city’s port, and the fact that all sports except football will be held inside the city limits (the Morumbi, Mineirão, Mané Garrincha and Fonte Nova stadiums in other Brazilian cities will also host football games). The IOC vote to choose the 2016 Olympic Host City will take place on 2 October in Copenhagen.

The director general of the University Olympics closed his speech by asking for the support of all those present, emphasizing the impact the Games would have for Brazilian sport. Following Hubner’s talk, the president of the Brazilian University Sports Confederation (CBDU), Luciano Cabral, presented the Brazilian delegation’s results obtained earlier this year at the University of Belgrade in the Serbian capital.

The VI Brazilian Conference on University Sport, a free event that runs parallel to the 2009 University Olympics, will end on Friday. By the end of the conference, another eight presentations will be given on varied themes related to sports science and the findings of research into sport carried out at the Faculdade Integrada do Ceará university.

The 2009 University Olympics are organized by the Brazilian Olympic Committee, in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and media company Organizações Globo. Technical leadership is provided by the Brazilian University Sports Confederation (CBDU), with additional support from the state government of Ceará and the University Federation of Ceará (FUCE).