Rio Pan Am Games Advance Olympics Bid

(ATR)(ATR) An acclaimed Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro has “opened the door” for a bid for the 2016 Olympics, Carlos Nuzman, president of both Rio 2007 and the Olympic Committee of Brazil, tells Around the Ringsin a post-games interview.

The Pan Am Games opened on July 13, closed Sunday night and included more than 5,000 athletes competing in 34 sports. The games were the biggest international multi-sport event in the city’s history and have garnered praise from sports leaders throughout the Americas and in the IOC.

“The result to us, was very, very important for the future of our sport,” says Nuzman.

The Pan Ams were a very public test of plans to bid for the Olympics; last August the Brazil NOC nominated Rio de Janeiro as the country’s candidate for the 2016 Olympics. Since then, little has been said about the Olympic bid by Nuzman and his colleagues, who instead focused on Pan Am preparations.

That is about to change. Nuzman says the IOC will receive a letter from him in either August or September naming Rio as Brazil’s applicant city for 2016.

“I can tell you today the wish of the population of Rio, of Brazil, is for the Olympics. This is very important,” says Nuzman.

Olympics Plans Boosted By Pan Ams

Nuzman says the experience of the Pan American Games has put plans for the Olympics in “an advanced state”.

“This is natural that we need this to establish the Olympic project, he says.

“We have a lot of things to learn from the Pan American Games, no doubt. The organization of the Pan American Games has made it easier for us to discover what we need to do to make it better,” Nuzman says.

He notes that when Rio started to prepare for the Games five years ago, little in the way of modern sports facilities existed in Rio. As a result, the Pan Ams were the impetus to build an array of new venues, from the Pan American Village to the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center. Nuzman says the objective was to create venues at the standard of the Olympics.

“I think when we established to organize the Pan American Games at an Olympic level, it was a great challenge. A great challenge because we did not have a memory of the success of another Pan American edition,” he says.

Government Relations Strong

Nuzman downplays any significance over the opening ceremony gaffe when he declared the games open, apparently just as Brazil President Lula was about to do the same. Nuzman says the support of the federal government, vital to an Olympic bid, was not affected.

“No, we have no problems. This matter was explained and now we can have the full support of government, no problems,” insists Nuzman.

Street crime, feared to be a possible issue for the Rio Pan Ams, was not, due in part to the ramp-up in security made possible in part by the federal and state governments. Carlos Nuzman at closing ceremony for Rio 2007 Sunday night. (Getty)

“The problems that we have in the city, you have in all the cities of the world,” says Nuzman adding that he believes the terror threat in Rio de Janeiro is low.

“We don’t have terrorists, we don’t have troops with the bombs that kill thousands and thousands of people,” says Nuzman with a bit of hyperbole.

In a press conference Monday at the Rio Centro Main Press Center, Nuzman said that good security was behind the high turnout at Pan Am events.

Nuzman says Brazil’s aviation industry will receive attention from the federal government to insure safety and efficiency. On the third day of the games, a passenger jet crash at a Sao Paulo airport became Brazil’s worst airline accident, with nearly 200 people killed. Flags at the games were hoisted to half-staff in mourning.

“This is important, but the government is taking measures, so this government body will be solving it, before the [host city] election,” Nuzman says Brazil will support Rio’s bid for the 2016 Olympics. (Getty)assures Nuzman.

World Cup to Help Olympics Campaign

Nuzman says the 2016 Olympics bid will be helped by the selection of Brazil as the host for the 2014 World Cup, which he says will not be a distraction for Rio, should the city win the IOC vote in 2009.

“It will help a lot, help us with hotels, transportation, security, telecommunications, technology, all of these that they will use for the World Cup, it will be a legacy for the Olympic Games.

On the commercial side, Nuzman says he has heard early indications that the Olympics and World Cup will work together for sponsors.

“The reaction of several private companies during the Pan American Games and immediately afterward, is that they support the bid and support the World Cup also,” he says.

Olympic Plans Developing

Regarding specifics for the Olympic bid, Nuzman said plans for an Olympic Village that could be superior to the Pan Am Village are being considered. The 1400 units of the Pan Am Village have been sold to private owners, but Nuzman says there is plenty of space in the west Rio suburb of Barra di Tijuca for the even bigger housing complex needed for the Olympics.

He says the Olympic venues will remain in the Barra di Tijuca area, with others, such as rowing and canoe, likely headed there as well.

“We have lot of space in Barra di Tijuca, lot of space for them. It will not be a big problem.

Studies are now underway to consider whether to use newly-built Havelange Stadium for athletics, as it was during the Pan Ams. But the stadium will need to expand by at least 15,000 seats to be suitable for Olympic use.

Maracana, which Nuzman calls “our temple of sport” would be part of the 2016 bid. The stadium hosted the ceremonies and football matches.

Spectators Learning to be Good Sports

Among the spectators at the Rio Pan Ams, boo-birds seemed to be in the grandstands at many events, jeering opponents of Brazil, sometimes even cheering their mistakes.

“I think it was a very small group that made this,” says Nuzman, admitting that there is also room for improvement.

“I think this is a culture that is developing, to support everybody,” he says.