This Wednesday, the President of the Organising Committee for the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, received the “Excellence Guirlande d’Honneur”. The Prize is awarded annually since 1983 to Sports, Television, Cinema and Journalism personalities who have made significant contributions to promote the cultural and ethical values of Sport.

The Awards were presented at the Palazzo Lombardia, during the Opening Ceremony of the 30^th Milano International FICTS Fest, the International Sport Films Festival organised by the Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs, International Federation of Sport Movies and Television in English, (FICTS) – an entity recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Some 400 people attended the event, including IOC and International Sports Federations members, TV Sports Channels representatives, Film Directors and Producers, as well as Italian Olympic Champions of the London 2012 Games.

In his acceptance speech, Nuzman said: “Everybody knows the role and importance of images, especially in sports, as it was recently demonstrated during the London Olympic Games. The images convey excitement; they show effort, tension, teamwork, joy and disappointment. We are also aware of the importance of films in showcasing the beauty of our city, as well as our passion and tradition in sports – youth, high performance, individual and team sports alike. I am very honoured and grateful to receive this prize and I assure you that, in 2016, we will do our best to convey our country’s festive atmosphere as well as the Olympic values.”

The “Excellence Guirlande d’Honneur” Trophy was designed by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, creator of the FIFA World Cup Trophy. It was inspired by the olive wreaths received by the winners at the ancient Olympic Games.