Diverse Hospitality House Showcase Set for Rio -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) Over 50 hospitality houses will serve National Olympic Committees and sponsors during the 2016 Olympics.

The houses aim to promote different cultures from around the world with NOCs as host, or to showcase the new innovations in a brand’s technology. According to Globo there will be 54 houses featuring countries on all continents.

The next three Olympic Games will have installations in various hospitality houses. PyeongChang 2018 will feature in a house near Copacabana Fort separate from the South Korean NOC sponsored house, Tokyo 2020 will have an installation in the Japan House at Cidade das Artes, and Beijing 2022 will be represented in the hospitality house run by the Chinese NOC.

Three of the four 2024 Olympic bids have confirmed installations, with France, Hungary, Italy, and the United States all having houses in Rio. Hungary is holding their house at the Jockey Club in Rio, Italy is renovating the Costa Brava club in between Sao Conrado and Barra da Tijuca while the United States will showcase themselves right on Ipanema beach.

Some hospitality houses will be free for the public to enjoy, while others such as Bayt Qatar will ask guests for a small fee, which serves as a donation to the Rio-based non-governmental organization Futuro Olimpico.

Sponsors such as Coca-Cola are concentrating their activation along the Porto Maravilha live site, and will not be the only sponsor to set up shop in the area.

The city of Rio de Janeiro highlighted 12 hospitality houses when showcasing the plans for the 2016 Paralympic Games. Austria, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, and Switzerland will have operational houses during both the Olympics and Paralympics, as will PyeongChang 2018 along with Cisco and Nissan.

Visa Adds Refugee Athlete

Yusra Mardini, a Syrian swimmer competing in the 2016 Olympics on the IOC refugee team, is now a part of Team Visa.

Mardini is one of 45 Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will receive funding from the TOP sponsor during the run up to the 2016 Olympics. His Olympic spot was confirmed yesterday, as part of the 10-person refugee team that will compete under the Olympic Flag during the 2016 Games.

"It means so much to me to have a partner that accepts me, includes me, and provides me with the same opportunities as other athletes competing in Rio," Mardini said in a statement announcing his inclusion in the program. "I am honored to be joining Team Visa’s community of Olympic hopefuls on the road to Rio 2016. Since arriving in Berlin, I have been humbled by the warm welcome I’ve received from the swimming community and everyone associated with the Olympic Games."

Visa Athletes Receive Wearable Technology

All 45 of Visa’s sponsored Olympic hopefuls will receive a ring that will store their payment information.

Athletes will simply tap the ring to payment machines during the Games to make all purchases where Visa cards are accepted. The ring includes a microchip made by Gemalto, and will allow athletes to travel around the Olympic city without a wallet to pay for goods. In addition, the ring is waterproof up to 164 feet.

"This ring is the latest example of how Visa is continuously innovating to deliver on its goal of universal acceptance at the games and across the world," Jim McCarthy, executive vice president of innovation at Visa said in a statement.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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