From revisiting the past in Beijing,
to observing present efforts in London, we now look to the future of
the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro for a beacon of unprecedented hope
in our historic new host-city.
After a fierce
round of competitive presentations at the 121st session in Copenhagen,
Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid were taken out of the running. Rio, whose
presentation lasted 45 minutes and was shown in four languages, stands
as the first city in South America to ever host the Olympic Games.
Rio’s brand of “Live Your Passion” is a hopeful endeavor to
transform Brazil, and use the Games as a catalyst for initiatives that
will potentially spur economic strength and investment in both tourism
and social projects. Supported by athletes, writers, and political
figures, Brazil announced its eagerness to receive both the Olympics
and the Paralympics.
Rio confidently promised a guaranteed budget – something that
rarely, if ever happens to host cities – but the Rio 2016 president,
Carlos Arthur Nuzman is positive. Upon receiving the celebratory news,
Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said, “Human beings need
challenges and Brazil needed these Olympic Games. We just needed an
opportunity to show that we are a great nation. Today is one of the
most exciting days of my life. I feel even more proud to be Brazilian.
Rio deserves it. Brazil deserves it. The Brazilian people deserve it.”
After the dust settled, the Rio 2016 Committee began planning process.
Before meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Nuzman
spoke with NBC, the only broadcasting company in the world with
exclusive rights to the Games. Its next steps are to meet with all
three levels of government, and then to attend the 2010 Vancouver
Winter Olympics to observe. The IOC plans to visit Rio to discuss
concrete plans in August.
Plans to refurbish already-existing
venues have significantly contributed to Rio’s sustainability efforts.
More than half the city’s venues have been built and used for the 2007
Pan and Parapan American Games. The glamorous João Havelange Stadium
has been proposed to be the 2016 venue for athletics, and the Maria
Lenk Aquatic Center will be used for swimming events. The existing
Maracanã Stadium will undergo two years of refurbishment and will be
ready to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup before the 2016 Olympics begin.
Rio’s
heart and soul will be in the unification of youth and sport. The
city’s biggest efforts will focus on bringing people under the age of
18 into the discipline and rewards of sportsmanship. In order to
accomplish this, Rio 2016 Committee is building “X Park” which is a
place for young people to go and learn about the Olympic obedience of
sports. The committee also plans to build two interactive hubs on each
continent to truly unite the youth of the world in sport.
In honor of Rio’s success, we’ve revisited Olympics’ past, present,
and future to truly appreciate how far the Games have come in recent
years, and the triumphant events we can look forward to together.
Read more Olympics Travel News:
Olympics Past: Beijing
Olympics Present: London
Olympics Future: Rio
Olympics Travel: Vancouver
© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney
