The Rio 2016 Organising Committee hosted its largest open day for National Olympic Committees (NOCs) yet when 31 delegates from 15 countries visited the city this week. The visitors were updated on the project during a series of presentations at the committee’s headquarters, taken to see the competition sites and had the chance to share ideas during the event on Tuesday and Wednesday (go behind the scenes with our blog).

Kitty Chiller, the Australian Olympic Committee’s Chef de Mission, summed up the mood among delegates when she told rio2016.com: “It’s really good to meet colleagues from other NOCs. Everyone wants the Games to be a success and we are all working together for that.”

Chiller, who last visited Rio in October last year, said: “I was really impressed with the progress on the Olympic Village. It has moved on enormously since I was last here. We could really see how it has taken shape.”

Marzenna Koszewska, of the Polish Olympic Committee, has been involved in the Olympic Games since Seoul 1988. “Two years before the Games, of course you see there’s still a lot of construction going on and sometimes it’s difficult to imagine how it will be at Games time,” she said. “But I have seen this many times before so I am not afraid. Rio will be prepared in time.”

Su Donghao, of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said they had been reassured by their visit. “The meetings and visits have been very important and have given us confidence,” he said. “Before we arrived, we heard a lot of criticism about the lateness of the works, but now we feel more relaxed. The visit to Barra (where the Olympic Park will be) was interesting. The project is very well planned, the competition sites are next to the Olympic Village.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by Steve Stoute, the President of the Barbados Olympic Association and Chairman of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC). “Coming here gives you a positive perspective, you feel more confident. We have a CANOC board meeting next week and I will report that it appears that plans are on track.”

Louis Louis, of the Qatar Olympic Committee, also stressed the importance of NOCs having personal contact with the Games organisers and seeing the preparations for themselves. “I was impressed by the Village,” he said. “Two years out, it’s in good shape.”

The benefits of meeting counterparts from other countries was another aspect highlighted by Louis. “The discussions we’ve had with other NOCs have been very rich in ideas. These can be private chats on the bus or during breaks – we exchange a lot of ideas.”

Thirty-one representatives from 15 countries visited Rio for the fourth NOC open day (photo: Rio2016/Alex Ferro)

Antonio Pedro Garcia Monteiro, Secretary General of the Angolan Olympic Committee, agreed with Louis on this point, while his counterpart at the Finnish Olympic Committee, Mika Sulin, said he was impressed by the professionalism and experience of the Rio 2016 team.

The other NOCs present were Belgium, Bahrain, Great Britain, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Oman and Turkmenistan. This week's event was the fourth NOC open day held by Rio 2016. The previous event was held last November. The fifth Rio 2016 NOC open day will take place in October, while Rio 2016 will host its first National Paralympic Committee (NPC) open day in May.