Rio, 21 July 2009 – The President of the Rio 2016 Bid Committee and IOC member, Carlos Nuzman, is delighted to be attending the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome this week. Mr. Nuzman will be joined at the Championships by Carlos Roberto Osorio, Rio 2016 Secretary General, Mario Cilenti, Rio 2016 Director of International Relations, Leonardo Gryner, Rio 2016 Marketing Director and later this week by Eduardo Paes, Mayor of the City of Rio de Janeiro.

Carlos Nuzman said: “I am highly impressed with the organisation, spirited competition and outstanding Foro Italico venue that I have witnessed at the FINA World Championships.

The facilities here are a further inspiration for our own plans for the 2016 aquatic events, including the Olympic Aquatics Stadium which will be a world class venue for the athletes and accommodate up to 18,000 fans.

“We are also very pleased that Mayor Paes will be joining our delegation here in Rome later this week, his commitment to the bid is genuine and his contribution to our campaign has been strongly felt.”

The Championships sees athletes compete over four disciplines – swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo – and takes place between 17 July and 2 August. The Foro Italico village is expected to host over 400,000 visitors and spectators during 17 days of competition.

Mario Cilenti travelled to Rome from Tampere, Finland where he was attending the European Youth Olympic Summer Festival (EYOSF) on behalf of the Rio 2016 Bid Committee. Mr. Cilenti was joined by Edgar Hubner, Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) Director General of School Olympics and General Manager for Events and Cristiano Barros, COB Events Supervisor. Both delegates will be participating in the EYOF Observer Programme to listen and learn from the successful experiences of events focused around youth to help improve Brazil’s own similar initiatives such as the Brazilian School Games.

Carlos Roberto Osorio, Secretary General of Rio 2016, said: “Youth participation in sport is vital to the future and continued strength of the Olympic Movement and inspiring more young people to get involved is one of the main priorities of our bid.

“Our commitment to achieving this has been visible throughout our campaign with representatives of our Olympic Committee and Bid Committee attending various international youth events and competitions such as the Asian Youth Games, Summer and Winter European Youth Olympic Festivals and Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

“The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio will further increase the current social transformation of the city and Brazil and open a new market to the Olympic Movement. The Games have an exceptional ability to inspire and offer new opportunities for the young people of Brazil and provide historic change for the country.

“Understanding the potential of the Games for our country’s young people is inherent to the unparalleled support and guarantees from all three levels of government, all of whom are united in their desire to create new opportunities for them.”

The EYOSF is a biennial multi-sport event which brings together young athletes from the forty-nine member countries of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) to compete in nine sports – Athletics, Basketball, Cycling, Gymnastic, Handball, Judo, Swimming, Tennis and Volleyball.

More information:
Catherine St-Laurent
cstlaurent@verocom.co.uk

Saint-Clair Milesi
saintclair.milesi@rio2016.org.br