The Rio 2016 campaign today made an effective pitch to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Brazilian delegation’s presentation, which was replete with emotion whilst emphasizing the technical excellence of the city’s plans, put forward a strong case for Rio to the IOC members, who on 2 October will select the Host City for the 2016 Games. The event took place at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

After the presentation, the Rio 2016 team – composed of Rio’s governor, Sérgio Cabral; the city’s mayor, Eduardo Paes; the president of Brazil’s central bank, Henrique Meirelles; Rio 2016 president, Carlos Arthur Nuzman; Rio 2016 secretary general, Carlos Roberto Osório, Rio 2016 general sports manager, Agberto Guimarães, and Olympic medalist Isabel Swan, who won bronze in sailing at the Beijing 2008 Games – took 16 questions from IOC members. All of them received precise, full responses, thereby helping to reinforce confidence in Rio’s plans. Despite the optimism, Rio 2016’s president made a point of saying that there are still three months and a lot of work ahead. “There’s a consensus in the Olympic world that this is a very tight race. We will continue working hard over the next few months. In our presentation today, we described the bid’s main points and showed that Rio de Janeiro is ready to host the Olympic Games. We are confident and satisfied with our performance,” said Nuzman.

The Rio 2016 president opened the presentation by stating the four pillars of the bid: technical excellence, the power to transform the city and country, adding value to the Olympic Movement, and providing a unique experience for all those involved. In one of the most memorable moments of the presentation, Nuzman displayed a map of the world showing all the previous Olympic host cities. South America’s blank image caused a major impact. “Imagine the power of the Olympic Movement reaching 65 million under 18s in Brazil… and 180 million young people across the whole of South America. The Olympic Games have always been greatest when they entered new territories and forged new links,” said Nuzman.

Although he was not a part of the Brazilian delegation in Lausanne, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterated his full support for Rio 2016 in a video message to IOC members relayed during the presentation. “I would like to speak once again of my support for Rio’s bid, because I know the enormous power that sport has to transform nations and lives,” said Lula. “For Brazil, hosting the Olympic Games will not only be a great honor, but also a catalyst for social transformation for the country and the continent. As a result, the three levels of government pledge their complete support to the bid. We are ready to welcome the entire Olympic Family in 2016.”

Henrique Meirelles, president of Brazil’s central bank, presented a series of figures demonstrating the country’s positive economic situation and strong growth prospects. “We have a strong and stable economy that is ready to receive the Olympic Games,” he said. “Our stock market is the third largest in the world, and many of our companies are interested in investing in sport and the Olympic Movement. Brazil is also an important market for sponsors and an entry point to South America. Of the world’s ten largest economies, Brazil is the only one that has never hosted the Olympic Games.” 

Security and transport were discussed by Governor Sérgio Cabral. “We are building a modern transport system for the Games and for the whole city, which involves expanding the metro and implementing express bus corridors. We are also bringing about changes in security. As a part of the program developed for the Rio 2007 Pan American Games, we implemented a new model to bring police and communities closer together,” said Cabral.

Mayor Eduardo Paes spoke of Rio de Janeiro’s experience in hosting major sports events. “Rio 2016 is a project that began with the Rio 2007 Pan American Games, and will continue with preparations for the 2014 World Cup. We want to make use of what has already been achieved and use the experience of the 2014 World Cup to stage unique Olympic Games. In this presentation we conveyed something of the city’s passion and, at the same time, we gave a full explanation of technical issues,” he explained.
Rio 2016’s strong performance in their pitch to the IOC was the result of many hours of rehearsals in Switzerland. Brazil’s sports minister, Orlando Silva, also participated in all stages of the preparations. “The Olympic Games will mean a major transformation for Rio de Janeiro, and will serve as a foundation to structure the further development of sport. We have a winning project and we showed this in today’s presentation to the IOC,” said the minister.