Rio de Janeiro’s new Mayor-elect, Eduardo Paes, and State Secretary for Sports and Leisure, Marcia Lins met with Tessa Jowell MP, the UK Minister with responsibility for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Minister Jowell was given an aerial tour of sports venues across Rio and witnessed first-hand the widespread commitment to further developing sport in Rio and across Brazil and the concrete steps taken to achieve this at various government levels.
Minister Jowell visited Brazil as part of a tour that has seen the launch of International Inspiration and met with senior members of the Rio 2016 bid team, including Carlos Nuzman, President of the Rio bid team and the Brazilian Olympic Committee. The British Olympics Minister updated Rio 2016 on London’s progress towards staging the 2012 Games while Mr Nuzman and his 2016 colleagues presented Minister Jowell with an overview of Rio’s ambitions and plans to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016.
The Rio 2016 Bid Committee pledged to Minister Jowell that they would continue to build on the International Inspiration legacy programme launched by the London 2012 team as it speaks very clearly to the country’s own objectives for human and social development through sport and to those of the city’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Minister Jowell said: “It was a pleasure and an honour to meet the Rio 2016 Bid Committee and share experiences from sports initiatives in our respective countries. We at London 2012 have a very special vision and mandate, the Olympic legacy that will result from Games in London, and I am rejoiced with the commitment shown by the Rio 2016 Bid Committee to continue to build on the objectives and work of the International Inspiration programme. I cannot publicly support any Candidate City, but I have been very impressed with what I have seen during this visit and believe that Rio de Janeiro is certainly capable of hosting the Olympic Games.”
Carlos Nuzman, 2016 Bid President said: “Our meeting with Tessa Jowell was extremely valuable both in terms of us understanding how London won the 2012 bid campaign and the progress made since. London ran a great campaign that had a powerful message at its core that touched members of the International Olympic Committee and we can certainly learn some valuable lessons from their winning experience.”
“It was also hugely exciting to hear how the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will have such a positive and profound impact on the UK in terms of massive regeneration and investment. London’s plans are hugely exciting and really bring to life the positive impact hosting the Games could have on the people of Rio and beyond if we have the honour to be chosen as the 2016 Host City by the International Olympic Committee” said Nuzman.
