International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said he is “more confident than ever” about the success of the Rio 2016 Games after visiting Brazil this week.

After meeting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in the capital Brasília on Tuesday, Bach visited Rio on Wednesday. The German spent time at the headquarters of the organising committee, flew over the competition venues and in a visit to the Maracanã Stadium, played football on the famous pitch. “The IOC is very confident,” Bach said. “So was I when I arrived in Brazil and, after these two days, I am more confident than ever. I saw the progress of the organising committee and now I see that all the people involved in the project are committed.”

In Brazil for the first time since being elected IOC President last September, Bach had an intense agenda in Rio. After having breakfast with sponsors at the Rio 2016 Organising Committee HQ, he met city and state government authorities. In the afternoon, he flew in a helicopter over the main Games venues, located in the four competition zones - Barra, Deodoro, Copacabana and Maracanã.

The last stop was the Maracanã Stadium, which will host the Rio 2016 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, along with matches in the Olympic football tournament. Bach, who is an Olympic fencing champion, showed he has a few football moves too, scoring two goals in a relaxed penalty shoot-out with Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman.

Bach enjoys the rare feeling of scoring at Maracanã Stadium, as Nuzman keeps goal (Photo: Rio 2016 / Alex Ferro)

Towards the end of the day, the IOC President met employees of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and highlighted the importance of the legacy that will be left to the city.

“The organising committee has been making good progress in the past few months,” Bach said. “It's clear that the Games can deliver a great deal in terms of concrete legacy and social benefits. Olympic venues will be turned into schools after the Games, Rio's transport infrastructure will be transformed, and the Olympic principles of non-discrimination and anti-racism will help to build cohesion here in Brazil.”

“This was a very positive meeting,” Bach said about his meeting with Rousseff

During the meeting in Brasília with President Rousseff, Bach emphasised the importance of integration between all levels of government and the organising committee at this stage of the project.

“This was a very positive meeting and the President offered her strong commitment to the project,” Bach said. “The schedule is now incredibly tight and all levels of government need to work together to make the Games a success. After this meeting, I am more confident than ever.”

Bach said he is ‘more confident than ever’ after meeting President Dilma Rousseff in Brasília

The meeting in Brasília was also attended by Rio 2016 President Carlos Arthur Nuzman, IOC members Nawal El Moutawakel (chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Rio 2016) and Bernard Rajzman, Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo, Governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro Sergio Cabral, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes and Rio 2016 CEO Sidney Levy.