Brazil won’t disappoint for 2016 Olympics

KARACHI: The 2016 Summer Olympics will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as announced at
the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session.

Brazil Minister for Sport Aldo Rebelo, along-with President Dilma Rousseff attended the
opening of an exhibition at the Brazilian Embassy in London.

He said this is a year into a role that includes delivering the 2014 World Cup and 2016
Olympics.

While accepting it is a huge task, Rebelo, said Brazil, like London, would not disappoint.

“These are two major challenges, we have attached a great deal of importance to both and we have a tremendous respect for the challenges both projects throw up. I can tell you that challenges of this type and grandeur Brazil has faced in the past and it has risen to them,” he told the media.

London organizers, with former Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Coe leading the way, enjoyed
almost constant praise from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as it took on the 9.3
billion pounds ($14.60 billion) project to deliver the 2012 Games.

Rebelo said London had raised the bar but he was confident that once the baton is handed to
Brazil on August 12, Brazil would prove itself equal to the task of staging the Olympics,
two years after hosting the World Cup.

“London is the best possible, I think the London Olympics are going to be very well
organized and have excellent infrastructure and I think this can help us in Brazil,” he said

“The tendency in Brazil will be to adopt the model of London. We have also learned things
from Beijing but I can tell you that we have to remember the specific character of Brazil
and also of Rio de Janeiro,” he added.

Rebelo, a member of the Communist Party, adopted the London 2012 mantra when insisting that
hosting the Games will be a force for good across society.

“As well as building the infrastructure, we are going to train our athletes so we can set
our targets high in 2016, perhaps not fourth position (like Britain) but certainly better
than what we got in Beijing and will get in London,” he said.