Tokyo 2016 bid representatives Yasuhiro Nakamori and public relations manager Masa Takaya in Barbados. (ATR)
Bid leaders from Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo make the trek to Barbados to take part in the second edition of Legacy Lives, the annual conference of professionals who bid, manage and stage sports events worldwide.
“We experienced the 1964 Olympic Games and now we are trying for the 2016 Games,” Tokyo 2016 international relations chief Yasuhiro Nakamori, part of a two-man delegation in Barbados tells Around the Rings.
Madrid 16 bid delegation at Legacy Lives: Oscar de Alma Antonio Fernández Arimany, and Raul Chapado.
“Now we are trying for a legacy for the next 100 years,” he says about the plans for Tokyo. He says while a new Olympic Stadium would be part of the legacy, he says the Games in 2016 will usher in legacies of sustainability and environmental improvements for the city.
Antonio Fernandez Arimany and two of his colleagues from Madrid 16 are in Barbados.
"We are here to learn, to try to see what others are doing around the world,” he says.
“We have a hard legacy, in terms of infrastructure, and our soft legacy, which is a way to create a new model of living in the city,” says the Madrid leader.
Leonardo Gryner from the Brazilian Olympic Committee and Rio de Janeiro 2016. (ATR)
Leonardo Gryner, who leads marketing plans for the bid from Rio de Janeiro, says a 2016 Olympic bid from his city would not be possible without a legacy from the 2007 Pan American Games.
“That is allowing us to have very few things to build. We are living upon the legacies of the Pan American Games,” he says.
Gryner says a social legacy is one of the targets for the Rio de Janeiro plan for the Games.
“Sport is very important to be able to develop education. In Brazil we have some examples of how sport has been a transformational tool for youth. When you bring an event like the Olympics, you can reach a large group of young people, Gryner says.
Michael Segobiano, a member of the communications staff for the Mayor of Chicago, says he and his two colleagues from the bid are in Barbados “to listen and learn from our friends around the world on the importance of legacy and see what they have done”.
Mike Segobiano from Chicago 2016. (ATR)
“We place tremendous importance on legacy,” he says, “whether we prevail in our bid, it’s critical to have legacy as part of the process.”
He and other bid leaders who spoke to Around the Rings in Barbados says that it would not be possible to mount their campaigns for the Games without a legacy to deliver.
“I don’t think it’s right to pursue this without legacy as a cornerstone,” Segobiano says. For Chicago, “a broader sports legacy”, one that improves and creates new venues for the community and region, will be one of the long-term benefits of a Chicago Olympics.
The Legacy Lives conference, which debuted in London last year, has drawn about 125 participants to Barbados. Among the internationally recognized experts speaking to the group include leaders from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, John Scott of UK Sport and Commonwealth Games Federation President Michael Fennell.
Two of the panelists for the opening day of the meeting included Mike Lee of Vero Communications in London, former media director for the London 2012 bid who is advising Doha 2016 and George Hirthler, an Atlanta consultant who is working on Chicago 2016. Except for passing references, neither commented on their current bid assignments during their presentations.
London-based consultancy pmpLegacy, which specializes in helping sports events maximize legacy potential, is the presenter for the conference.
Lula Letter Delivered to IOC President
A letter of support for the Rio de Janeiro bid for the 2016 Olympics is hand-delivered to IOC President Jacques Rogge. IOC member and Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Nuzman brought the letter to IOC headquarters Monday. He was accompanied by federal minister for sport Orlando Silva and the National Secretary for High Performance Sports, Djan Madruga.
“This is an additional demonstration of the full support and commitment of the Brazilian Government with the Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. President Lula’s personal letter reflects the level of his commitment with the Rio 2016 project,” said Nuzman in a statement.
Written by Ed Hula
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