The Rio 2016 Candidate File was the first to be delivered today to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne. The official delegation was led by Mr. Carlos Luiz Martins, Chief Operations Officer for the Bid Committee, Rafael Lima Pires from the Bids Legal Department and Julia Mesquita and Rafael Ribeiro, both young Brazilians aspiring to bring the Games to Rio in 2016.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio would inspire more than 65 million young people in Brazil and over 180 million across South America, something both Julia and Rafael were keen to reinforce for audiences worldwide by participating in the submission of the File today, said Mr. Martins in Lausanne.
I am very excited to be here today for the Bid Book delivery and to play my part in supporting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016. I am also an athlete and would love nothing more than to welcome other athletes from around the world in 2016 to share and experience values of peace, friendship and fair play that the Games bring alive, said Julia, 15 years old and currently fencing champion in Geneva.
Rios plans to host the Games are focused on athletes and young people which I can relate to and which I am very excited about. Through their new ideas about event presentation, ticketing and technology I will have a chance to share the Rio 2016 Games experience with millions of my peers around the world at the same time, said Rafael, 13 years old and an avid football player.
As seen in the Guarantees submitted today, our bid has the total support of all levels of Government, thereby assuring the feasibility of staging the Games in 2016 and delivering lasting benefits to the country and the continent. This unwavering support from the governments and also from Brazilians has enabled us to go beyond IOC requirements in many areas and we look forward to detailing this to the Olympic Family in the coming months, concluded Mr. Martins.
