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| IOC Completes Rio 2016 Inspection |
The IOC’s evaluation commission completed its final tour of Rio de Janeiro before deciding on the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, saying it was impressed with the strength of the bid.
“Everything we have seen so far is positive,” said the commission’s chairwoman, Nawal el-Moutawakel, according to report in the International Herald Tribune newspaper.
The inspectors said they were impressed by the political support for the bid that went right up the office of the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The president has provided financial guarantees for the bid, just as the country is starting to feel the effects of the global economic downturn.
The IOC spent several hours on Saturday with Brazilian officials discussing security, one of the biggest concerns about Rio’s bid. The inspectors said they were satisfied with plans to improve traffic flow and provide accommodation for visitors – Rio organisers have promised at least 49,000 rooms in hotels, anchored cruise ships and a media housing centre.
The inspectors rounded off their tour in a fun fashion at the Maracanã stadium with the IOC’s el-Moutawakel, a 400m hurdles Olympic gold medallist, racing Rio mayor Eduardo Paes in a sprint, and then playing football with Pelé on the pitch that hosted the 1950 World Cup final.
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