Still elated with Rio?s win as Olympic host city, the leaders of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organizing Committee arrived home in the Cidade Maravilhosa this Sunday. Once on Brazilian soil, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, Carlos Roberto Osorio and Leonardo Gryner, the Organizing Committee?s president, general secretary and communications director, shared their delight in the victory with the Brazilian people who did so much to support Rio?s bid right from the start.

?I think this is a great political and sporting victory for Brazil, and a one-off in the history of Brazil. Above all, for the way in which we won the Games. It was the biggest win, in terms of the difference in the number of votes, of any Olympic election to date,? commented Nuzman. ?I would like to thank the Brazilian people for their decisive role in the campaign. The pictures of the party in Copacabana lifted the spirits of everyone in Copenhagen,? said the Committee?s president, expressing his gratitude, and not forgetting to mention the part played by municipal, state and federal government officials is achieving the final victory.

Nuzman reminded everyone of the importance of Rio?s experience in holding the biggest and best Pan American Games ever. ?The IOC showed its trust in our ability to carry it off. For them, Rio 2007 was an exceptional achievement in terms of quality and gave us a track record, vital to the Rio 2016 victory,? said Nuzman.

The general secretary of the Organizing Committee, Carlos Roberto Osorio, highlighted the technical qualities of the Rio 2016 presentation that received more praise than any of efforts of the competitor cities. ?Our presentation was by far the best and proved that we are very well prepared. The record vote we received is confirmation of this,? said Osorio. He was only able to see the pictures of the Rio party over the internet, and felt that the Brazilian style celebration was the realization of a dream.

The film shown by Rio 2016 in Copenhagen was one of the major features of Rio?s victory for Leonardo Gryner. Fernando Meirelles? film ?Unity? played a vital role in demonstrating the excellence of the work put in by all those involved in Rio?s Olympic bid.

?To win, you need to be surrounded by star players. And Fernando is a star. His film hit the bull?s eye with its brilliance. We succeeded in conveying exactly the right amount of excitement, with first rate editing and soundtrack. It was a perfect cinematic rendering of the slogan (?Live your passion?),? said Gryner.

Carioca athlete Barbara Leoncio, the star of Meirelles? film, also arrived in Rio this Sunday. She first came to public attention through an athletics program in Jacarepagua and made a name for herself in the School Olympics with a world junior championship title in 2007 in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. She said that after Rio?s successful bid, she was planning a high-performance showing on home ground. ?Now I?m even more motivated and will train even harder. I?ll be at the peak of my athletics career for Rio 2016, and I really want to give my best for Brazil,? said Barbara, who received an early birthday present in Denmark. She will be 18 on October 7.