Two-time Olympic medalist (bronze in the 200m at Seoul 88 and the 4x100m relay at Atlanta 96) Robson Caetano has joined the ranks of the Rio 2016 delegation in Berlin for the World Athletics Championships, which begin on Saturday. The former athlete will promote Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic plans alongside Governor Sérgio Cabral, Mayor Eduardo Paes, the national secretary for elite sport, Ricardo Leyser, and Rio 2016 leaders Carlos Arthur Nuzman (president), Carlos Roberto Osório (secretary general), Leonardo Gryner (marketing and communications director) and Agberto Guimarães (sport director).

As an ambassador for the Rio 2016 bid, Robson Caetano took part in the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission’s visit to Rio in April, and he has been twice to Nigeria with Rio 2016: in February 2008 for the African Sports Convention, and in July of this year for the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. “The Olympic Games will inspire many thousands of young people in Brazil and throughout South America,” he said. “Sport has given me great opportunities and so I know the value of a project like Rio 2016. The World Athletics Championships attracts some of the biggest athletes and sports leaders in the world and it’s important for them to be fully familiar with our proposals.”

Today, representatives of Rio 2016 and the three levels of government participated in meetings about the bid. The World Athletics Championships will be attended by various IOC members, who on 2 October will choose the Host City for the 2016 Games. “We are in the final straight of the bid and the World Athletics Championships is an excellent opportunity to promote Rio de Janeiro’s project. We will also be observing and learning from the organization of this grand event,” said Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

This year the World Athletics Championships is set to bring together around 2,500 athletes from 213 countries. Organizers expect to attract 50,000 spectators. Around 3,500 journalists from across the world are accredited to cover the event, which will be broadcast to 190 countries.