Construction work on the João Havelange Stadium is proceeding according to schedule: the pace of work on the installation was approved by the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro city, Cesar Maia, and by the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the RIO 2007 Organizing Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

This Monday, April 12, Cesar Maia and Nuzman visited the work site where the stadium will be built and were pleased with their findings. The report on their visit, as well as other points relating to the RIO 2007 Pan-American Games, will be presented next week during the General Assembly of the Pan-American Sports Organization, to be held in San Antonio, Texas (USA). The João Havelange Stadium will host the athletics competitions during RIO 2007, while the stadium is set as the venue for football matches as part of the Rio de Janeiro candidacy project for the 2012 Olympic Games,.

An enterprise undertaken by Rio de Janeiro City Hall, the João Havelange Stadium is in the final phase of land leveling and foundation laying. Until June 2004, 2,320 posts will be installed to sustain the stadium’s pillars and the concrete structure will be constructed at the actual work site. The forecast is that 150 meters of the stands will be finished by the end of the year, totaling 6,000 square meters and corresponding to a sixth of the stadium. The contract for the installation of the stadium’s metallic cover will be signed by June; and the structure will be tested in a wind tunnel in Canada. At present, 169 people are working at the stadium’s construction site.

The João Havelange Stadium meets all the requirements of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Pan-American Sports Organization (PASO), the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). ‘This initial phase is the most work-intensive since it involves constructing the base of the stadium. Even so, everything is running on schedule. This guarantees us that the stadium is being built in compliance with the initial design plans,’ stated Cesar Maia. ‘This stadium is one of various legacies that RIO 2007 will leave for Rio de Janeiro and it forms an integral part of the city’s candidacy to host the 2012 Olympic Games,’ explained Nuzman.

The Stadium is located on 200,000 square meters of land in a quadrangle formed by four roads (Arquias Cordeiro, José dos Reis, Doutor Padilha and das Oficinas) in front of the Engenho de Dentro Train Station. This site will later be used by COB to build the Olympic Talent Development Center (CODT), designed to discover new values for top-level sports. João Havelange, after whom the Stadium is named, is Honorary President of CO-RIO, Honorary President of FIFA, a member and deacon of COB and a member and deacon of the International Olympic Committee.

Designed by architect Carlos Porto, the Stadium will have a spacious leisure area covering 6,000 square meters, with shops, bars and restaurants. Seats will be numbered and equipped with back rests and the stands will be completely covered. All seats will enjoy a complete view of the pitch and athletics track. The Stadium project also makes use of environmentally-friendly solutions, such as the capture of rainfall for watering the pitch.

THE JOÃO HAVELANGE STADIUM

IN FIGURES

Total construction cost: R$ 166 million (US$ 55.3 million)

Direct jobs generated by the project: 1,600

Indirect jobs generated by the project: 1,500

Total capacity: 45,000 people (numbered seats with back rests)

Land area occupied by the stadium: 117,000m2

Volume of construction project: 39,000m3 of concrete

Steel for construction: 2,700 tons

Metal structure for cover: 35,000 sq. meters

Competition area (football pitch + athletics track): 21,000 sq. meters

VIP boxes: 98 boxes (varying from 30 to 60 sq. meters, capable of holding 15 to 19 people)

Area to be used by shops, restaurants and similar amenities: 6,000m2

Electronic scoreboards: 2

Big screens: 2

Radio and TV cabins: 60

Bars: 24

Toilets: 67

Energy demand (when fully functioning): 5,000 kVA, with own substation

Photos of the Visit by Cesar Maia and Carlos Arthur Nuzman to the Stadium and Villa can be found on our website www.cob.org.br

For further information, please contact:

CO-RIO Press Office / Textual
Roberto Falcão
Tel.: 21-3806.2384
CORIOTextual@cob.org.br – www.rio2007.org.br

Assessoria de Imprensa CO-RIO / Textual
Roberto Falcão – tel: 21- 3806.2384
www.rio2007.org.br
www.cob.org.br