The Rio 2016 Olympic Village and Maracanã Stadium were among the highlights for 29 delegates from 13 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who visited Rio de Janeiro this week. In town for the Third Rio 2016 NOC Open Day, the delegates spent Tuesday and Wednesday visiting venues and being updated by the organising committee on preparations for the first Olympic Games in South America.

 

Peter Reinebo, who was visiting the city for the third time in his capacity as the Swedish chef de mission, praised the Rio 2016 venue plan. “It’s a great combination,” he said. “There will be venues in iconic places like Copacabana and Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, and some new permanent venues that will leave a legacy for years to come, like the Olympic Park. Then there are some temporary venues and also stadiums that already exist, like the Maracanã and the athletics venue (João Havelange Olympic Stadium). It’s a very impressive mix".

 

“Things are really happening quickly at the Village and I think it will be very good. It’s also easy now to see how the Olympic Park will be and to understand its legacy. The distance between the Village and Olympic Park is very good, and even better is how close the training facilities are (at the Athletes’ Park).”

 

Along with Sweden, representatives from Belgium, Canada, Congo, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovakia and the Netherlands took part in the open day and visited venue sites in all four Rio 2016 competition zones – Barra, Deodoro, Maracanã and Copacabana. For Heinz Thews, the Luxembourg chef de mission, visiting the Maracanã Stadium was the highlight.

 

“It was a very special moment,” he said. “It will be a fantastic stage for the opening ceremony. It’s a very historical and emotional place. It’s special because normally there is an athletics track in the ceremony stadium, but here there is not, so the spectators will be very close.”

 

Thews said the visit had been highly productive. “These NOC Open Days are very important and I think it’s obligatory for NOCs to come and see the reality of the city and understand the small things and get in touch with the people in the organising committee. Rio 2016 has a very motivated team and there is a very good working atmosphere here.”

 

 

Daniel Katsuya Takahashi, from the Japanese NOC, also noted the progress that had been made since his last visit, and explained how the open day would help Japanese athletes perform well in 2016 and 2020, when Tokyo will host the Games.

 

“Last December I was here and that time there was nothing at the Olympic Village site, and now we can see buildings are already standing and we know this progress will get faster and faster. In 2020 we are required to get good results and in order to do this we need to have better results in Rio in 2016. It’s step by step, and this visit of course has helped in this process.”

 

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Reinebo was impressed by the legacy that the Games will leave. “The infrastructure that was needed anyway will be delivered some years earlier,” he said. “Rio is a magical city with a great atmosphere; it’s vibrant and very beautiful. But it has some issues with transport and if there are good solutions it will increase economic growth and attract more tourists – so the works are not only for the Games but for the future of the city. And it’s important to attract more young people into sport, but for this you need new facilities and the Olympic Park can provide this legacy.”

 

The event was led by Mario Cilenti, Rio 2016’s Olympic Village and NOC Relations and Services Director. He said: “The NOCs and, through them, the athletes of the world, are the most important participants in the Games. It is a top priority for the Rio 2016 Organising Committee to make sure they have the best possible experience during the Games.”