Representatives for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organizing Committee took part in the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games debriefing, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The event, held in Sochi, Russia, ended this Friday 10th. The 12 member team of the Rio 2016 Committee and representatives of the federal, state and municipal governments participated in over 30 talks and workshops about the main areas of operation and preparation for the Games, having access to the best practices and lessons taken by the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games Organizing Committee. The debriefing occurred in three stages: the first, that lasted three days, from June 3rd to 5th, focused exclusively on the technological aspects of the Games. The second, from June 7th to 10th, concentrated on other areas of the organization of the Games, in a combination of plenary sessions and workshops for the discussion of the necessities of each client and participants of the Games: from spectators to athletes, going through the media, sponsors and government partners. This Friday 11th, there will be a session of workshops about the Paralympics Games. Rio 2016 Games Organizing Committee president, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, reminded the success of the organization of the Vancouver Olympic Games and talked about the benefits of the IOC initiative. “The Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee did an excellent job. The competition venues were amazingly beautiful, mostly in the mountains. The Games atmosphere embraced the city. The Organizing Committee, the population, the volunteers and the visitors provided a fantastic ambiance for the competitions, with much celebration. Congratulations to the Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee for the work done. It is now the moment to share the knowledge acquired with Sochi 2014, London 2012 and Rio 2016”, said Nuzman. A team from the Rio 2016 Committee and government representatives had already followed the Vancouver Games and participated in the Observers Program, when they could closely see the operations of different areas of the Olympic Games. “The debriefing is a key part of the Knowledge Transfer Program we created to help future organizers and learn with the experience of other host cities. It is one of the few opportunities to gather all involved in the organization of the Games in the same place, for an exchange of ideas and experiences. The Rio 2016 team that was with us certainly benefited from the time spent with the Vancouver organizers. It might seem there are a lot of differences between the Winter and the Summer Games, but there are also a lot of similarities. The Rio 2016 team will now take the information to Brazil and will study where this knowledge can add value to the Rio 2016”, explained Gilbert Felli, Olympic Games Executive Director.