The Rio 2016 Organising Committee’s budget for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is R$7 billion. The funding will be drawn from private sources, in the form of sponsorship, ticket sales, licensing and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) contribution.

 

“Our obligation to Rio de Janeiro, to Brazil and to the worldwide sporting community is to deliver memorable Games, since we are talking about the biggest celebration of sport in the world. We are undertaking the mission of planning and organising the Games in a responsible manner,” said Rio 2016 Organising Committee President Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

 

The budget covers all expected revenue and expenses of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee. Its calculations are based on the total private funding estimated in the Rio candidature file, which was drawn up in 2008. This value, of R$4.2 billion at the time, has been adjusted upwards by 31.89% in line with inflation, as measured by the official Brazilian indicator, and amounts to R$5.5 billion in current terms.

 

Beyond the inflationary adjustment, expenses occurring after the award of the Games to Rio have been included, such as the entry of four additional sports to the Games programme as determined by the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC): rugby, golf, paracanoe, and paratriathlon. Implementation of technological improvements and new regulatory requirements, costs of leasing and retrofitting the Olympic and Paralympic Village, as well as the above-inflation rise in average salaries in Rio have all contributed to bringing the total to R$7 billion.

 

The Rio 2016 Games will host 65 Olympic and Paralympic championships, with the participation of 16,000 athletes and delegations from 204 countries, 4,500 technical officials, 70,000 volunteers and over 25,000 media professionals, whose logistical needs in terms of accommodation, food and transport are the responsibility of Rio 2016.

 

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee confirmed its commitment to balancing revenues and expenses during the budget announcement. Sidney Levy, Chief Executive Officer, noted that “the good results achieved with sponsorships and licensing allow us to forecast sufficient private revenue to cover the costs outlined in the budget we are presenting today”.

 

Levy added that the budget presented on Thursday was the result of an extensive undertaking, which involved all Rio 2016 departments.

 

He said that the committee had “undertaken a line-by-line critical analysis of the budget, to balance known spending commitments and be able to meet new obligations as they arise. We are striving to achieve a zero contribution of public funds to the committee”.