On the Scene -- Rio Mayor Welcomes Olympic Bid Scrutiny

Mayor Eduardo Paes speaks to international journalists in Rio de Janeiro. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)The mayor of Rio de Janeiro tells Around the Rings the city "will not hide anything" from IOC inspectors who have started their five-day visit to the Brazilian seaside megalopolis.

"We will present Rio de Janeiro for what it is today," said Eduardo Paes.

“But we will also show how the Olympics will bring changes to the city," he said in comments to ATR prior to a lunch for international journalists covering the IOC visit.

In his talk to the media, Paes acknowledged that questions about security and transportation would be important ones for Rio to answer for the IOC team.

"We know we face a lot of problems and the good thing is we don't try to hide our problems," Paes said of Rio, which has 6 million inhabitants and 12 million in the metropolitan area. "We try to face them and see them as a challenge."

Paes, who was secretary of Sport during the 2007 Pan American Games, said Rio "delivered the best Pan American Games in history. Everything we said we would do, we did."

He said that while he has great respect for Rio's three competitors, "There's no city at the moment that can give the Olympic movement the strength that Rio can give."

Paes hosted the lunch at a colonial-styled mansion used by the city for ceremonial functions. Other governmental figures at the lunch included the vice Palacio da Cidade, site of the press luncheon, sits under the distant gaze of Rio landmark Cristo Redentor. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, a representative of the federal government and state ministers for tourism and sport.

Bid leaders Carlos Nuzman and Carlos Osorio led the Rio 2016 contingent that also included marketing executives Leonard Gryner and Leslie Koker.

Noting that the Palácio da Cidade was the British Embassy before being sold to the city of Rio de Janeiro in 1974 and that London is hosting the 2012 Olympics, Paes quipped, "We are always succeeding the British."

Government Welcome Wagon

Nuzman, the president of Rio 2016 and the Brazilian Olympic Committee, told journalists that Rio's "strong difference" is the support of the government at federal, state and city levels.

This represents not only the financial guarantees, Nuzman said, "but they have the feeling, they have the wishes."

Paes and Governor Sergio Cabral even arrived at the Rio airport at 4 a.m. Monday to begin welcoming members of the commission, including chair Nawal El Moutawakel.

Nuzman, Paes and Vice Governor Luiz Fernando Pezao added that the support of President Lula has been crucial.

Pezao said that Lula does not have an institutional relationship with Rio, "he has an emotional involvement."

The Olympics have never been held in South America, which Nuzman said has 180 million potential new supporters for the Olympic Movement under the age of 18.

"We hope that when we open this door for a new territory, a new continent, we are opening the door for others around the world," he said.

The Palácio da Cidade holds a special place in Nuzman's heart since he was married there in 1998. The mayor at the time, who was a friend of Nuzman's, performed the ceremony. But after other Rio couples clamored for the same favor, the practice was ended. Bid president and IOC member Carlos Nuzman told journalists that awarding the Olympics to Brazil will be an inspiration to other countries. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)

"There was a single ceremony," Nuzman said.

While the journalists lunched with the politicians and bid leaders, the members of the Evaluation Commission met to prepare for the visit.

The bid committee will welcome the Evaluation Commission on Tuesday night with cocktails on the Copacabana Palace terrace.

Newsweek Gives Brazil a Shout Out

The IOC Evaluation Commission is visiting the same week Newsweek came out with a cover story on Brazil titled, "The Crafty Superpower."

Nuzman was pleased by the timing of the article.

"This week for us is fantastic, and the right moment," Nuzman said. He wouldn't say if a copy of the magazine was waiting for commission members in their hotel rooms, but the media received the article via e-mail from a Rio representative.

Although Chicago and Tokyo each had a small band of protesters, Nuzman said Rio has none. "We don't hear anything about protests," he said.

Dressing up Rio

The city is trying to get its bid message across in conventional and unconventional ways. Visitors to the beach who get a refreshing spray of water at one of 34 stations will see them embellished with the 2016 Rio bid campaign.

Gryner said the city has been decorated with 600 banners and more than 100 pedestrian overpasses have the "city look."

The "Red Line" highway from the airport has 14 billboards, with two groups of seven.

There are also huge billboards at Flamengo Park, Barra da Tijuca, the Lagoa The tunnel to Copacabana is part of the look of the bid scattered around the city. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)and Maracana. The tunnel from the shopping area to Copacabana has been painted with the Rio theme.

Barra da Tijuca also has a famous sign at its entrance that says, "Smile, you are in Barra," which constantly changes. The association that runs the campaign agreed to have "Welcome to Barra, the heart of the Games in 2016."

Subway trains have been wrapped, and a subway construction site has the look of the Games on its wooden fences.

Three artists are working on sand sculptures at the Copacabana representing the bid. "We showed them some of our designs for the venues," Gryner said. "It could be Maracana Stadium."

The three hotels in use for the visit (IOC, media and support staff), the 10 existing venues and the land that will be used for the Olympic Village have also been decorated with marks and banners.

The theme of the campaign is "Eu Quero," which is "I Want" in Portuguese. The local television stations, cable channel and MTV are running 30-second and 1-minute commercials for free with film provided by the bid committee.

The Eu Quero campaign is also seen in 80 bus stops, on 200 smaller street signs and on all of the clocks on the streets around the city.

Embratel, a sponsor, also has 100 clocks converted to the campaign.

Among the 112 construction companies in Rio, 76 are supporting the campaign by putting the Rio 2016 marks on 340 construction sites, including large building wraps.

Public Festivities on May 1 Holiday

The Evaluation Commission will go on its venue tour Friday, which is the national Labor Day holiday.

The bid committee will take advantage of all of the people who are not at work to stage many activities throughout the city.

In Copacabana, there will be a game similar to basketball, with a huge basket that is 32.8 feet high and a ball that needs six people to throw it.

There will be two areas at the beach near the Copacabana Palace that are 1291.7 square feet each, with activities. Visitors will receive flags, stickers, balloons and can be painted with the colors of the campaign.

A countdown clock in Copacabana that counts down to the October 2 vote will also start on May 1.

With reporting from Karen Rosen and Ed Hula in Rio de Janeiro.

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