Marco Balich awarded the highest design recognition

ADI Compasso d’Oro International Award

Milan – Italy, December, 1st 2017 - ADI Compasso d’Oro International Award Jury has selected Marco Balich for his role as Executive Producer of Rio 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremony, produced by CC2016, for the Compasso d’Oro Award and Honourable Mention.

Compasso d'Oro, dedicated since 1954 to Italian designers and producers, from 2015 has been proposing its values to the whole world, giving evidence to the reasons why it has become the symbol of Italian Design. The 2017 International Award is dedicated to sport: articles that accompany sport activities and services promoting the practice of sport. The official public prize-giving ceremony was held today in Milan at Leonardo da Vinci National Museum.

Marco Balich received the award for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony of the XXXI Olympic Games, the event for the first time in a South American country took place in Maracanã Stadium, with 78,000 live spectators and 3,6 billion viewers around the world, the highest TV audience ever had.

The Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony was the first Olympic Ceremony with a strong message of global sustainability. The idea of preserving the world's natural resources was at the centre of the show's creativity. The Ceremony was consciously a low-tech production, performers and stagehands were used to move scenic elements, rather than automation. This was due to the need of reducing the budget as well as to ethical choices linked to the show message and Brazil's social and political situation. The "analogue" set design was enhanced by a high quality projections introduceding three-dimensionality to the scene.

«We tried to change some paradigms of the Olympic Ceremonies» said Marco Balich «we replaced a high-tech approach with an analogue inventiveness. We wanted to promote world peace, tolerance and respect of diversities through a big party, with 4 thousands of volunteers. For this reason I’m very proud of this important recognition that I want to share with all the entire Brazilian creative team and the international professionals that made it possible».

Marco Balich, Creative Director and Olympic Producer, Chairman of Balich Worldwide Shows and WSCorp is referred to as the "designer of emotions". After 27 Olympic Ceremonies (above them Torino 2006, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016), his expertise in producing large scale events is renowned around the world. He was the Artistic Director of the Italian Pavilion in EXPO Milan 2015 and the creator of the iconic Tree of Life. He has received an Emmy Award for his work and the special acknowledgement of the President of the Republic of Italy. Currently Marco is the Creative Director of the permanent show "Giudizio Universale. Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel" with the scientific advice of the Vatican Museums.

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