Rio de Janeiro is already competing for one more big sports event. The Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports sent a letter to the International Swimming Federation, confirming its interest in hosting the 16th World Aquatics Championships in 2015, in Rio de Janeiro. The decision to carry out the event came after the Brazilian Olympic Committee president, Mr. Carlos Arthur Nuzman, consulted the International Olympic Committee, and came into agreements with FINA president, Julio Maglione, and BCAS president, Coaracy Nunes Filho. Everyone agrees in having the competition as a testing event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The World Aquatics Championships is the biggest FINA competition, since it gathers its five modalities – swimming, open water swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming, and diving – in two weeks of competitions. After confirming its intentions of hosting the event, FINA will wait for the other candidates and the decision will take place during the 14th World Aquatics Championships, from 16th to 31st July 2011, in Shangai, China. - I am very happy for we can compete, since that is the competition that we still missed having, and it is an incredible legacy from achieving to host the 2016 Olympic Games. We now have real chances of bringing this one more accomplishment to the country. The final decision is from the FINA bureau (a group of 22 members that approves the international entity decisions), but we are very optimistic – says BCAS president, Coaracy Nunes Filho, also a member of the bureau of the International Federation, who guarantees having the support from FINA´s president, Julio Maglione. Brazilian Olympic Committee and Rio 2016 Organizing Committee president, Mr. Carlos Arthur Nuzman, stated he will give all necessary support to carry out the World Aquatics Championships in Brazil. “We have great expectations for one more great accomplishment for the Brazilian sports. Hosting this event in Rio de Janeiro, one year prior to the Olympic Games, will be a preview of the great show the city and Brazil will offer the world in 2016. Congratulations to the Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports for this initiative and they will have all our support for its success”. According to Mr.Nuzman, the aquatic sports projects for the Rio 2016 will be redimensioned in case Brazil is to host the Championship in 2015. The tendency is that both pools become permanent, instead of just one. The bleachers will remain temporary. “That would leave an even bigger legacy for the Brazilian Sport”, he remarked. This is the third time Brazil is a candidate to organize the most important FINA event. The first time was to host the Championships in 2005, in which the Canadian city of Montreal won. The second competition was for the event in 2007, won by the Australian city of Melbourne. In case Rio de Janeiro wins this time, it will be the third time the competition happens in Latin-American continent in 30 years. The competition is considered a great challenge for its organizers, since it has great figures and complex logistics. According to the International Swimming Federation, the latest Championships, in Rome, in 2009, were the biggest of all times, with 2556 athletes from 185 countries competing at the Foro Italico with a cumulative world audience of 3.59 billion spectators.