French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced his support for the Rio de Janeiro bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games during an official trip to Brazil this week to mark Independence Day celebrations in Brasilia.

Standing alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at an event attended by more than 35 thousand people, Sarkozy noted that the 2016 Games would be very important for Brazil and Latin America. "All of France supports the Rio candidacy for the 2016 Olympic Games. Our votes are yours. It will be great for Brazil and for Latin America to host  this universal event that is the Olympic Games. We will support you 100%," said the French president.

2009 has been designated as the "Year of France in Brazil” and will be marked by a series of cultural events and cooperative efforts in various areas such as agriculture, transport and technology.