Rio de Janeiro?s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games approach a decisive week. On Monday, 27 April, the visit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission will begin. The 13 members of the Commission will spend seven days in the city to analyze the details of the Rio 2016 plans and prepare a report for IOC members who will choose the Host City for the 2016 Games on 2 October, in Copenhagen.
?This is a key moment, as it is the only opportunity permitted by the IOC for their members to visit Rio de Janeiro to learn about our plans. We are confident. In partnership with representatives of the three levels of government, Rio 2016 will go through the plans presented in our Candidature File and show that Rio is prepared to receive the greatest sports event on the planet,? said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of Rio 2016.
The IOC Evaluation Commission is led by Moroccan Nawal El Moutawakel, who has a degree in Physical Education and an Olympic medal in athletics, won in 1984. The group also includes Chinese Wu Ching Kuo, Scotsman Craig Reedie, Frenchmen Guy Drut and Etienne Thobois, Egyptian Mounir Sabet, Colombian Andres Botero, Russian Alexander Popov, Swedish Goran Petersson, Swiss Gilbert Felli and Philippe Bovy, and Australians Gregory Hartung and Simon Balderstone. The IOC delegation also includes three assistants, totaling 16 people.
The IOC Commission will be based at the Copacabana Palace Hotel, where the official meetings of the visit will take place. On the 27th and 28th, the Commission will have internal meetings.
On the 29th and 30th of April and in the morning of 2 May, the Commission members will attend technical presentations followed by a question and answer session on each of the 17 themes presented in the Candidature File: Vision, legacy and communication, Overall concept of the Olympic Games, Political and economic climate and structure, Legal aspects, Customs and immigration formalities, Environment and meteorology, Finance, Marketing, Sport and venues, Paralympic Games, Olympic Village, Medical services and doping control, Security, Accommodation, Transport, Technology, and Media operations.
The presentations, which will take up the biggest part of the official schedule, will be given in a large hall at the hotel, equipped with lighting, and multi-media resources to ensure high-quality presentations by Rio 2016 and comfort for the IOC Commission.
On 1 May, the IOC Commission will visit sports venues that are part of the Rio 2016 plans. On the afternoon of 2 May, the IOC visit will end with a press conference at 5pm, followed by a Rio 2016 press conference. The entire schedule has been previously approved and follows the rules specified by the IOC for all Candidate Cities.
Around 300 professionals for Rio 2016 and the federal, state and city governments are directly involved in the preparations and execution of the visit. ?It is a very complex operation. We have conducted extensive planning and simulation work, and we are ready to welcome the IOC Commission. This is a great opportunity to show, at home, the excellence of our bid and the unique aspects that only Rio has to offer the Olympic movement,? said Carlos Roberto Osorio, Secretary General of Rio 2016.
Rio de Janeiro is the third Candidate City to receive the IOC Evaluation Commission. Their schedule began in Chicago, followed by Tokyo. After Rio de Janeiro, the Commission will go to Madrid. Following the visit, the IOC will have until 2 September to prepare and release its evaluation report on the four Candidate Cities. This report is an important tool to support IOC members who will choose the Host City for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
IOC Evaluation Commission visit to Rio in numbers
7 days in length
13 members of the IOC Evaluation Commission, of which 7 are voting members
17 themes covering 300 technical questions in the Candidature File to be explained
300 professionals from Rio 2016 and the three levels of government directly involved in the visit
IOC Evaluation Commission