2016 Bids at IAAF Worlds, Plan for Rugby and Golf

Delegations from all four 2016 bid cities attended the opening ceremony for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin Friday night. (Getty Images) Bid Cities Plan for Rugby and Golf

Rio 2016 says it's so ready to host the Olympics that it already has identified where rugby and golf could be held if the two sports are added to the program.

The bid committee sent out a press release soon after the IOC Executive Board announced its decision Thursday to recommend rugby and golf for the 2016 Games.

Rugby will take place at São Januário Stadium, home of the Vasco da Gama football club and the oldest football stadium in Rio. It is also the club of the president of Brazil, the governor of Rio and the mayor of Rio.

Rio 2016 says this choice has already been approved by the International Rugby Board.

Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman said golf could be held at Gávea Golf Club or Itanhangá Golf Club.

"This choice will be up to the International Golf Federation," Nuzman said.

"Both courses are in the middle of the city, which is very rare."

Chicago has not yet pinpointed where the sports could be held, choosing to wait until after the votes on the cities and the sports in October. "We've got a number of great existing venues that could be potential venues," bid spokesman Patrick Sandusky tells ATR," but should the sports get in, we would work very closely with their federations, understand what their needs are and work very closely with them."

Chicago has two golf courses that have held major championships: Medinah (three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships) and the aptly named Olympia Fields (two PGA Championships, two U.S. Opens).

Rugby could be hosted at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears; Toyota Park, where the Chicago Fire play, or the city's two baseball stadiums: U.S. Cellular Field and Wrigley Field.

Madrid 2016 CEO Mercedes Coghen says plans are in the works for golf and rugby if the sports are approved at the IOC Session in Copenhagen.

“We are not going to have problems,” she said. “Golf is very popular in Spain and we are getting better in Rugby Sevens,” she said, adding that the Spanish women bagged a bronze in the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai earlier this year.

Three golf courses near the centre of the Spanish capital, including Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, could stage Olympic golf, Coghen confirmed. “It is not going to break out compact plan because they are already there.”

She said Santiago Bernabeu stadium, home ground for Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid, is one of the venues being considered for rugby. Getafe football club’s stadium is another potential venue.

Tokyo 2016 CEO Ichiro Kono welcomed the IOC’s recommendation for golf and rugby to join the 2016 Olympic program, noting that both are popular sports in Japan.

“If they are decided by the IOC [Session], we have great venues for them,” he said.

He identified the 30,000-seat Chichibunomiya stadium and Tokyo’s national stadium as potential rugby venues. There are a number of golf courses in the city’s metropolitan area, and one in the proposed 8km Olympic zone, that could be used to stage the sport, he added. Rio 2016 bid leaders Governor Sergio Cabral. President Carlos Nuzman and Mayor Eduardo Paes at an interactive screen in the Rio booth. (ATR/ Panasonic: Lumix)

Rio de Janeiro Meets the Press

Rio de Janeiro was the only bid city to take advantage of the international media gathered in Berlin to host a press conference.

Rio 2016 chief Carlos Nuzman confirmed that President Lula, a staunch supporter of the bid, would be in Copenhagen, not only to lobby members one-on-one but also to be part of the formal presentation to the IOC Session.

"This is a demonstration of his total commitment and the commitment of the Brazilian government behind the Rio bid," Nuzman said.

Sergio Cabral, governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, said Lula's presence was "absolutely fundamental."

"He's our leader in Brazil and our leader in the campaign," he said. "He will be there enough time to have contacts with the press, the members and for the presentation."

Cabral and Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, also talked about the port renovation, investments in infrastructure, Brazil's growing economy amidst the global crisis, and projects to build new hotels.

Paes said a proposed subway expansion from the south side of the city to the Barra zone "is going further than we proposed in our Olympic bid."

Cabral reiterated Rio's contention that South America has never hosted an Olympic Games and deserves a chance. "Of course the three (other) cities can do the Olympic Games, no doubt. The point is Rio can do it also."

Nuzman said the Rio 2016 will give the same kinds of presentation in Copenhagen as it gave at Sportaccord in Denver and Lausanne in June.

"We'll give the same feeling, the same energy," he said. "Of course, it's very natural that we bring some surprises for the final presentation, but please don't ask us what kind of surprise. But on Oct. 2, we'll deliver."

Chicago in Berlin

Patrick Ryan, CEO of the Chicago 2016, mingled in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel on Friday night as IOC members and IAAF officials waited for transportation to take them to the opening ceremony of the 12th IAAF World Championships. The stand for Chicago 2016 uses more German than other bids. (ATR/Panasonic: Lumix)

"You strike while you can," he said.

Berlin is the last major World Championships before the vote in Copenhagen, although Chicago bid officials will also attend some other events.

"First of all, we're here for the sport and I very much love athletics," Ryan said.

He said he wanted to be a decathlete when he was in high school, "but I couldn't jump. I couldn't throw quite as well as I could run sprints and distance. So I ended up being a sprinter."

Ryan wouldn't divulge his time for the dash, which was 100 yards at that time. "It's getting better every year," he said.

The Chicago delegation includes president Lori Healey, Vice Chairman of International Relations Bob Ctvrtlik; President Director of Sport, Venue and Operations Doug Arnot and U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Probst.

Besides seeing outstanding competition, Ryan said, "we're here to see friends and talk about our bid to people who are interested in talking: federation members, IOC members. NOC members - lots of people in sport are here. It's a pretty good opportunity for each of the four bid cities."

Madrid Ready to Engage

Madrid 2016 leader Mercedes Coghen tells Around the Rings the Spanish bid is planning “more serious engagement” with IOC members during the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin. The stand for Madrid 2016 outside of stadium in Berlin. (ATR/Panasonic: Lumix)

Coghen says the bid delegation is aiming speak with IOC members they have not so far spent much time with to better explain the benefits of the Olympic bid concept.

“We will meet a lot of people as it’s basically our last big event [before the IOC vote],” she said.

Coghen was speaking Friday from Madrid before flying out to Berlin where she will spend a week lobbying IOC members and attending track and field competitions.

The Madrid 2016 delegation in Berlin also includes Mayor of Madrid Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, Spain’s IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jnr, director of sport Raul Chapado and managing director Antonio Fernández Arimany.

In addition to lobbying IOC members, bid officials will also examine the organization and venues of the world championships and allocate time to talking to coaches and athletes to see how the Spanish bid can provide the best possible Games for track and field competitors in 2016.

Tokyo Highly Motivated

Tokyo 2016 CEO Ichiro Kono says the mood in the Japanese bid camp is “excellent” as his bid team attempts to make the most of the IAAF World Athletics Championships to press the flesh of IOC members. Tokyo Governor General Shintaro Ishihara at the Tokyo 2016 stand. (ATR/Panasonic: Lumix)

“Our staff is very motivated and support is growing and growing back in Japan,” he tells ATR in Berlin.

With little more than 50 days until the IOC vote on the 2016 host city Oct. 2, Kono and his bid delegation have a busy schedule over the next week of the IAAF event.

“We are trying to meet as many IOC members as possible. It is a very big event for us,” he said, adding that he’d been told that up to 50 members were attending the Aug. 15-23 world championships at some stage.

The Japanese bid delegation in Berlin also includes Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo and President of Tokyo 2016, Tsunekazu Takeda, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, bid vice president and IOC member, Chiharu Igaya, and several athlete ambassadors.

Written by Karen Rosen, Mark Bisson.