Speaking at a press conference in London, Cabral said that the Rio 2016 Concept includes strategies to engage youth in Olympic sports and that one of the main planks of the bid will be the creation of the X Park in the region with the highest young population density in the City. The facility will host Olympic sports such as cycling (BMX), cycling (mountain bike) and slalom canoe-kayak. After the Games, the X Park will offer Olympic and adventure sports in a youth-oriented huge sports and recreational area.
Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and Rio 2016 Bid Committee, stressed that Rio is ready to host the Games and that while Brazil and South America have never hosted an Olympiad, Rio is keen to be appointed as host city for 2016 on merit. “We hosted the 2007 Pan American Games to an Olympic standard with strong government support. The Pan Am Games showed the confidence and credibility of the Brazilian government and the 2016 Olympic Games offers the IOC and opportunity to embrace Latin America, a region with a population of 400 million, of whom a third are youth population.”
Both men stressed that Rio 2016 will benefit from the sporting and social legacy of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games and from the fact that the 2014 FIFA World Cup will take place in Brazil.
Cabral said he and his delegation were in London to pick-up tips from the UK capital and had planned a series of meetings with government and business leaders and to boost its bid to host the 2016 Olympics. The group also included Rio’s state ministers for sport, transport and finance.
