The opening ceremony of the 2007 Rio Pan American Games has won yet another international prize. The film of the event came top in the Sports and Society category at Sport Movies & TV 2008, the 26th Milan International FICTS Festival. This is an annual event held in Milan and promoted by the International Sports Movies and Television Federation (FICTS). It is considered the most important festival of sports films for cinema and television. This year, 172 films in nine categories made the final cut. The prize will be awarded to the ceremony’s executive producer, Scott Givens, on Wednesday in Milan.

For the president of the 2007 Rio Organizing Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the prize symbolizes international recognition of the quality of the 2007 Rio Pan American Games. “This prize is one more way of remembering the magnificent opening ceremony of the 2007 Games, and it recognizes the quality with which the Games were organized. This stimulates us to work even harder on Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Should Rio be chosen in October 2009 as Host City, we will show the world another great spectacle based on the richness and diversity of our culture,” Nuzman said.

This is the ninth international prize awarded for the 2007 Rio opening ceremony. The event also won the best costumes Emmy award, the Oscars of American television; the best opening ceremony for a multisport event, given by the magazine Sports Business; and six Telly Awards.

The 2007 Rio Pan American Games opening ceremony was held on 13 July 2007 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Around 900 people and 6,000 volunteers were involved in the production of the event. Leonardo Gryner was the general director, Rosa Magalhães and Luiz Stein were art directors, and Alê Siqueira provided musical direction. Five Currents was the executive production company producer, under the direction of Scott Givens.