Bidding for the Games -- Madrid Plots IOC Stratgey; Rio Cleanup Moves Forward

Madrid 2016 Leaders Plot Path to IOC Vote

Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero met with leaders of the Madrid 2016 bid Thursday to discuss the final push in the campaign and preparations for its presentation to the IOC at the Session in Copenhagen Oct. 2.

Madrid Mayor Alberto Gallardón said the Spanish capital’s winning candidacy was a project of national importance. In the meeting with Zapatero, he formally requested that the prime minister accompanies the bid team to Copenhagen for the vote.

Also in attendance at the meeting were the country’s sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee Alejandro Blanco, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., Spain's only IOC member, Deputy Mayor Manuel Cobo and 2016 bid chief Mercedes Coghen.

The participants reviewed the route map to the IOC vote and the next milestones on the way, namely the IAAF World Athletics Championship in Berlin in August and the publication of the IOC’s Evaluation Commission report due out Sept. 2.

"Madrid has every chance of being selected," said Gallardón.

"Before leaving for Copenhagen in October we want everyone in the country to show their full support for the bid. The desire of everyone in Madrid and Spain to host the 2016 Games amounts to the highest percentage of any bid."

Gallardón noted that Madrid’s bid had inspired confidence during the economic crisis as 77 per cent of infrastructure was already in place. "We have had a lot of contact with IOC members and many have congratulated us on our bid," he said, adding that while these were not promised votes, "they certainly wish us well."

Lissavetzky told Zapatero that the bid had become stronger since Madrid launched its 2016 campaign. "We have done everything to guarantee a winning bid through innovation, ambition and popular and institutional support. We have a great opportunity."

Earlier this week, Coghen said new tourist figures showed the dynamism of Madrid. During June, 421,736 visitors passed through the Spanish capital – an increase of 7.6% on the same period last year. A total of 2,336,293 tourists visited between January and June 2009, the country’s tourism ministry reported.

The news coincides with Madrid's latest advertising campaign: "Madrid – Open for the holidays". It is hosting numerous events over the summer that bid leaders say will showcase the safe, atmospheric and multicultural style of the city.

Environmental Program Moves Forward in Rio

The environmental clean-up program in the Barra da Tijuca region will be accelerated by five years, thanks to a partnership between the state of Rio de Janeiro, the water and sewage company and two contractors.

The region is the proposed site of 19 Olympic and 13 Paralympic sports, plus the Olympic Village, Main Press Center and International Broadcast Center.

The project, which is outlined in the Rio 2016 candidature file, includes construction of a system capable of collecting 450 liters of wastewater per second, negating the need to construct treatment plants in Barra da Tijuca condominiums. The investment of about $3.7 million will benefit about 100,000 people.

Governor Sergio Cabral, who has campaigned for the Rio 2016 bid around the world, signed the agreement Wednesday at the Palácio Guanabara, seat of the state government. Rio 2016's general manager of infrastructure, Alexandre Techima, and the municipal secretary of urban development, Sérgio Dias, were in attendance.

Meanwhile, Brazilian entrepreneur Eike Batista's EBX Group has pumped an additional $6.9 million into the Rio 2016 campaign, bringing its total donation since April to more than $12 million.

Batista, who has a net worth of $7.5 billion and is Brazil's richest person, has interests in mining, energy, logistics, oil and gas and entertainment. The EBX Group has its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

He said the Olympics are "of critical importance for the city and country and we will remain committed, supporting the candidature, until the vote."

Carlos Nuzman, president of Rio 2016, said EBX Group's new investment illustrates the business community's recognition of the commercial and broadcast opportunities that will be created if Rio hosts the Games.

Nuzman has also emphasized the importance of accommodation developments. Since submitting its candidature file in February, Rio 2016 has added 52 new hotels with an additional 4,577 rooms in the city and in those which will host football matches (São Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia). Rio had already exceeded the guarantee of 40,000 rooms required by the IOC.

"We had the task of finding solutions, with a focus on public stakeholders and the post-Games legacy,” he said. “The Rio 2016 project met all IOC requirements, but the commitment of the hotel network is reinforced by each new contract signed."

The Rio 2016 accommodation project is connected to revitalizing the Port of Rio. A village with 1,840 rooms will be built in the area and the port also will welcome cruise ships that will be used for Games accommodation.

Chicago 2016 Visits Capitol Hill

Chicago 2016 and its legacy program, World Sport Chicago, hosted sports demonstrations for youth Wednesday on Washington's Capitol Hill. Members of Congress, Olympic and Paralympic athletes and representatives from the U.S. Olympic Committee also attended.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate recently passed resolutions supporting Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympics. The House passed H. R. 538, the Olympic Day Resolution, on July 24. The measure, spearheaded by Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat whose Congressional district includes part of Chicago's North Side and its northern suburbs, is a companion to Senate Resolution 178, which passed on June 9.

"We appreciate the federal government's support for our bid and we hope to have the honor of hosting the world in 2016 and welcoming the Games back to the United States," said Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016.

"Today's event is a prime example of how the values and ideals that the Olympic Movement promotes can be shared with youth in a fun and interactive way and we look forward to reaching more children to introduce them to sport as a result of our bid for the Games."

Olympians and Paralympians demonstrating sports included Bart Conner, two-time Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, Bill Scherr, Olympian in wrestling, Ryan Reser, Paralympian in judo, and judo Paralympian Myles Porter.

World Sport Chicago is also sponsoring the 41-member Junior Olympic qualifying water polo team from the Chicago Park District to compete at this year's national championships. In addition, WSC is hosting the 2009 International Cup, a three-day round-robin tournament for eight youth soccer teams from Chicago and around the world.

Last week, representatives and volunteers from Chicago 2016 rode in the 6th Annual Disability Pride Parade in Chicago. Following the parade through downtown, the bid committee hosted a booth at the city's celebration rally. Paralympians Lindsey Carmichael (Archery 2004, 2008) and Linda Mastandrea (Wheelchair Track 1992, 1996), who is Director of Paralympic Sport and Accessibility for Chicago 2016, took part.

Mastandrea also witnessed a seminal moment in the disability rights movement in the U.S. as President Barack Obama signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century. The next step is for the U.S. Senate to start the process of review and ratification necessary to enact the treaty into law.

Tour de France Riders Dream of Tokyo Olympics

Fumiyuki Beppu, one of the two Japanese riders to complete the grueling Tour de France cycle race, tells Around the Rings that he is setting his sights on competing at a Tokyo 2016 Olympics.

"Competing in the Olympic Games last year in Beijing was an unbelievable experience. It helped me to succeed in this year's Tour de France. Performing in the Olympic Games has and will always have a very special meaning for all athletes of the world," he said.

"My next dream is for Tokyo to be awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 and to have the honor of racing at home, in my own country which I know will host an exceptional games... and set the stage for heroic performance."

Tokyo 2016 bid leaders hailed the performances of Beppu and Yukiya Arashiro, who rode down the Champs Elysees in Paris Sunday to complete the race.

This week the Olympic bid effort was boosted by the International Rugby Board's decision to award the 2019 Rugby World Cup to Japan.

"The decision reflects the international sporting community's confidence in Japan's ability to successfully stage such large-scale sporting events and provide athletes with best possible conditions," a bid spokesman told Around the Rings.

Last weekend, a series of events were held in Tokyo aimed at furthering education about the values of Olympism. They built on Tokyo 2016's program of youth outreach in the 62 municipalities within the capital city. The three latest events, including a 'Hello! Fencing!' session, gave local schoolchildren the chance to compete alongside Beijing Olympic medalists. The second was a day-long celebration of gymnastics and another was a tug-of-war fun competition.

"Meeting, enjoying sport and having fun alongside Olympic heroes is simply inspirational for children and young people," said bid chair and CEO Ichiro Kono. "Tokyo 2016's commitment to giving youth the opportunity to do this demonstrates how the Games at the heart of Tokyo will leave an unprecedented legacy for the entire Olympic Movement."

On Saturday, the bid team will emblazon their logo across the world's biggest robot and environmental campaigner, Gundam, as part of its efforts to underline the campaign's green credentials. The 18-meter robot is already promoting awareness of the environment to the 1.5 million visitors to the Green Tokyo Gundam project.

South Africa for 2020?

A second South African bid for the Olympics could be in the works. According to the iol.ca.za Web site, the country's preparation for the 2010 World Cup prompted to sports leaders to think big and consider a bid for the 2020 Olympics.

Sports and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile made the announcement when delivering a report on World Cup preparations.

Durban, which is hosting the 2011 IOC Session, expressed its desire to host the Games, claiming Moses Mabhida Stadium which was built for the World Cup was designed with expansion in mind. Allegedly the stadium could be expanded to fit 85,000 spectators.

A spokeswoman for the minister said no decision was made, nor had the cabinet even held a meeting on a bid.

"The bid only opens at the 2012 Olympics in London," she said. "It is not confirmed but it is being seriously discussed by the South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee."

Cape Town submitted a bid to host the 2004 Olympics.

Pittsburgh Considers 2020

An online campaign was launched recently to promote a possible bid from the U.S. city of Pittsburgh, Pa. for the 2020 Olympics. Based primarily on a blog touting the city’s Olympic capabilities, the bid also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. The Facebook page lists some of the major events hosted in city, including the September G-20 Summit.

Pittsburgh would be one of the smallest cities to host the Olympics, with a metropolitan area of around 2.4 million people.

It would take some time for an official bid to get off the ground. The USOC has a long process to secure its blessing to bid for the Games, and has already said it won’t focus on another bid until the host of the 2016 Olympics is announced.

One more hurdle for the bid is its logo. It currently says Pittsburgh is an "Applicant City", a title reserved for cities nominated to bid for an Olympics by their NOC, and the logo features the Olympic Rings, imagery the IOC only allows for bid and host cities.

With reporting from Karen Rosen and Mark Bisson.