Rio 2016 today revealed details of its sports plan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, at a presentation to Brazilian Olympic confederations in Rio de Janeiro. The international-standard sports plan is based on sustainability and makes full use of facilities built for the Rio 2007 Pan American Games. The president of Rio 2016, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, and secretary general, Carlos Roberto Osório, outlined technical highlights of the bid and spoke about the city’s ongoing international campaign.

The presentation stressed the use of facilities built for the Rio 2007 Pan American Games and the legacy of the Rio 2016 Games bid. The highlight is the Olympic Training Center (OTC), to be built in Barra da Tijuca, which will have facilities for the development of 22 sports and infrastructure for training and research. A sustainability analysis will be carried out for all Rio 2016 facilities. “All the facilities will have a plan for long-term use. If sustainability is not demonstrated, a facility will be temporary,” said Osório.

Rio 2016 also explained that there have been some alterations to the locations of sports competitions, since the original proposal in the Candidate Acceptance Application, sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in January. These adjustments resulted from requests made by international federations and as part of ongoing refinements to the plans. The following sports have had their venue altered: water polo, taekwondo, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, synchronized swimming and fencing. “The process is ongoing. Candidate cities strive to serve the interests of athletes in the best way possible. All facilities will meet the requirements of the IOC and international federations. In the case of Rio, I am sure that we will present a spectacular plan,” said Nuzman.

Rio 2016 is currently preparing its candidate file, which will be sent to the IOC by 12 February. The document consists of two volumes, totaling 600 pages, with 52 categories of guarantees, and is the basis of the bid proposal. The candidate file answers around 300 technical questions on 17 themes. In order to produce the dossier, a team of specialists in diverse areas was formed, including international consultants with extensive experience in organizing major events. According to IOC rules, the content of the candidate files can only be disclosed after 13 February 2009.

The presentation also described Rio 2016’s international campaign. Since 4 June, when the IOC announced Rio de Janeiro’s selection as one of four finalists to host the Games, the Rio 2016 team has participated in major international events in the Olympic world, and has always been received warmly received. Three official presentations have been made to the General Assemblies of the Olympic Committees of the Americas, Asia and Europe. At the Beijing Olympic Games, the “Casa Brasil,” a space to showcase Brazil and Rio 2016, brought Brazilian athletes, officials and other prominent figures into contact with visitors from around the world. “We saw a spectacular plan. I am sure that Rio has a winning proposal,” praised Manoel Luiz Oliveira, president of the Brazilian Handball Confederation and Pan American Handball Federation, and vice-president of the International Handball Federation.