Non-Accredited Media Center Opens

(ATR) Journalists without official Olympic accreditation have a space for which they can cover the Rio 2016 Games.

The Rio Media Center opened its doors July 27 in the Cidade Nova neighborhood of the city. The media center is located next to Rio City Hall offices and a block away from the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee’s headquarters.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes officially opened the venue along with Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani, Olympic Public Authority President Marcelo Pedroso and representatives from the Rio State Government and Rio 2016 Organizing Committee.

"I have no doubt that all will be enchanted by the beauty of the city and the capacity of the country to host the Games well," Paes said to reporters in his inauguration of the venue. "This venue will be open throughout the games so that the authorities will be here giving the information to the press and to the population on what is happening in the city during the Games. It will be a partnership with the press to this legacy that has started being left since 2010, when the center of operations was launched."

During the Olympics the center will host city officials and Olympic athletes as well as promote how the Games are touching all different regions of Brazil. It will also serve as an opportunity for non-Olympic accredited journalists to have a space to broadcast and write about the Games.

The center features a full press room with multiple TV studios available to rent for outlets use during Rio 2016. The center will also work to make available government figures as well as athletes to satisfy the press corps.

The Rio Media Center is open 24 hours a day and will be operational through Aug. 23. The space will then re-open on Sep. 1-20 from 7 am to 11 pm.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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