Bidding for the Games - Leaders of Brazil, Japan, Write IOC

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote personalized letters to IOC members in support of the Rio Olympic bid. (Getty Images) Lula Letter to IOC Members

Lula sent personalized letters to each IOC member in July. President Barack Obama recently sent letters to select members of the IOC.

Dear [IOC member],

I write to convey to you my complete commitment to Rio 2016 - and indeed the total political support that this historic bid enjoys, from all three levels of Government and all the major political parties.

We Brazilians understand the tremendous power of sport to transform nations and touch the lives of millions of people, especially young people. We also appreciate that no-one has done more, over many years, to harness that power than you in the Olympic Movement.

For Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 would not only be a great honor, but also provide a wonderful catalyst for the ongoing social transformation of our country and our continent. We believe that the Olympic Flame will burn even more brightly in Rio.

This is why my Government is so strong and determined in our support of the bid. It is why we have given every possible guarantee and why we have approved a substantial and comprehensive funding package - one that will give the Rio Organizing Committee and indeed the IOC itself the greatest levels of financial certainty possible.

In recent months, I have traveled in support of the bid to Beijing, to London and elsewhere, learning more about what it takes to host the Games and more about the power and the values of the Olympic Movement.

As we enter the final weeks of this campaign, I am more excited than ever about we Brazilians working with the IOC to deliver Games of unique celebration, legacy and opportunity. I am looking forward to seeing you in the coming month of October in Copenhagen, and I sincerely hope that we will be taking the next steps of the journey to 2016 together.

Sincerely yours,

Luis Inácio Lula da Silva

President

Japanese PM writes to IOC Members

In a letter to IOC members seen by Around the Rings, new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama gives his “fullest assurance” that the country is as committed as ever to the Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid.

Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama offered “fullest assurance” the Japan backs the Tokyo bid. (Getty Images) “It is a great honor for me to write to you in my capacity as the new prime minister of Japan,” Hatoyama, who only took office last week, wrote in the letter dated Sept. 20.

“Japan has undergone a change of national government. However, I would like to offer you my fullest assurance that Japan's commitment to the Olympic Movement and to Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games remains as strong as ever."

Hatoyama has yet to say whether he will travel to Copenhagen for the IOC vote on the 2016 host city, and the letter does not give any clearer picture of his intentions.

"I strongly hope that I will have the opportunity of meeting with you at some point in the future, and look forward very much to hearing your views on a range of issues that currently confront the global community and to answering any questions you may have,” he concludes.

Hatoyama also expresses his own personal enthusiasm and support for Tokyo’s bid.

“Japan has a long, established tradition of successfully hosting major global sporting events, and an enduring commitment to the Olympic Movement.

“Our commitment to the members of the International Olympic Committee is to provide the optimal conditions for athletes and members of the Olympic Family.

“We will take all necessary measures to ensure an environmentally responsible and sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games while responding proactively to the challenge of engaging with the youth of the world to encourage widespread participation in sport and to provide education on the necessity of a healthy lifestyle.”

Blair Gives Tips to Chicago Advocate

Valerie Jarrett, the senior advisor to President Barack Obama who will lobby for Chicago 2016 in Copenhagen, met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to pick up some insights into wooing IOC members. The Associated Press reported that Jarrett and Blair met Tuesday in New York.

Blair was instrumental in winning the 2012 Olympics for London. He met privately with IOC members in Singapore in 2005. Talks which helped swing the vote away from Paris, the presumed favorite.

The AP also reported that new U.S. terror warnings won't affect the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Games, according to a bid official.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department sent bulletins saying terrorists still want to attack sports stadiums, entertainment complexes and hotels.

Lou Marciani, director of the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security at the University of Southern Mississippi, told the AP that safety efforts would be at their best during a major event like the Olympics.

Lula: Lobbying for Rio a “Priority”

Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told reporters in New York that he considered it a "priority" to travel to Copenhagen for the IOC Session "to explain to the Olympic Family why Brazil is best suited to host the Games in 2016."

Lula has been personally involved in Rio's bid for the past two years and has campaigned around the world. He also met with the IOC Evaluation Commission on its visit to Rio.

"I believe that my participation in Copenhagen for the Session is important but I also understand that it is up to each country to make their own decision on the matter depending on their commitments and their agenda," he said.

The White House announced that Michelle Obama will lead the Chicago 2016 delegation, although her husband has not completely ruled out a trip to Copenhagen.

Lula jokingly remarked that he would take his First Lady to Copenhagen "so it will be two against one!"

Tokyo Bid Leader Arrives in Copenhagen

While Tokyo 2016 sweats on the presence of the Japanese PM in Copenhagen next week, ATR is told that bid chair and CEO Ichiro Kono is already in the Danish capital fine-tuning preparations for his team’s final pitch to the IOC.

Kono became the first of the 2016 bid leaders in Denmark after arriving Wednesday afternoon; the bid’s communications team made the trip yesterday. Other key figures in the Japanese bid will arrive in the next few days, with Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara coming Sept. 26.

In a statement today, Kono insisted Tokyo was the best possible choice to host the 2016 Games as the world recovers from recession, claiming no other city was offering the same level of financial guarantees to the IOC.

In a show of public support for Tokyo’s 2016 campaign, the bid team reported that 400,000 supporters took to the city’s streets for an official bid parade.

Crowds Gather to Form Madrid Logo

Thousands of Madrid citizens will demonstrate their support for the city’s 2016 bid when they gather in Cibeles Square on Sunday. The crowd will form a giant hand representing the bid’s official logo.

A Madrid 2016 spokesman said the different colors of the official emblem will be projected down from a helicopter to complete the visual image.

As a send-off to the bid team, which leaves for Copenhagen next Monday and Tuesday, one of Spain’s best-known singers, David Bisbal, will then stage a concert in the square.

Mercedes Coghen, bid CEO, today held interviews with international broadcasters to promote Spain’s pitch for the Games. Getafe footballers, who play in La Liga with the city’s two bigger teams, held a separate photo opportunity, sporting Madrid 2016 shirts to show their support.

Olympians and Paralympians for Chicago Bid in Copenhagen

Chicago 2016 names a roster of 26 Olympians and Paralympians who will represent the bid at the IOC Session in Copenhagen next week.

The group includes legends such as Willie Banks, Brandi Chastain, Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner, Donna de Varona, Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nastia Liukin and Edwin Moses.

The Olympians list also includes IOC member Anita DeFrantz, USOC vice president Bob Ctvrtlik, USOC board member and Cancouver chef de mission Mike Plant and USOC international relations staffer Dragomir Ciroslan.

Other athletes in the delegation Morten Andersen, retired kicking great in the National Football League who was born in Denmark. Retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo will also be part of the Chicago group.

Mention of Mutombo seems to make obvious the absence of Chicago’s most famous international sports figure: bid ambassador and Olympian Michael Jordan.

Written by Mark Bisson, and Karen Rosen.