Ricardo Prado takes over presidency of Rio 2016's Sports Advisory Committee

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 28 September, 2012: Ricardo Prado, former swimmer and Olympic medallist, took over the presidency of the Sports Advisory Committee at the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Rio 2016™). Prado was presented as president of the Committee during a meeting held this week at the Rio 2016™ headquarters in Barra, Rio de Janeiro.

The Committee plans to increase the participation of its members in the planning, operation, promotion and legacy for the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the meeting, the division of the Committee into themed discussion groups was proposed, with the aim of improving the contribution of its members in specific areas and matters within Rio 2016™. At first, the groups will discuss matters relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Village, Sports, Ceremonies, Education and Culture.

The meeting was attended by 12 of the 17 members of the Committee, made up of athletes, coaches or experts of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

"It is a great honour to head this Committee, which will play a major role conveying the athletes’ real needs to the organisation of the Rio 2016™ Games," said Ricardo Prado, whose term runs through 31 December, 2016.

The Committee aims to provide guidance to the Rio 2016™ Sport Department, as well as the other 58 functional areas of the Committee on the planning, delivery and operation of services that will be offered to athletes, team officials, technical officials and coaches who will take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Agberto Guimarães, a former Olympic runner and current Sports Director at Rio 2016™, the Sports Advisory Committee allows its members to apply the experience and knowledge acquired during sporting competitions to the staging of a major sporting event. "Important experiences relating to matters that impact directly the sport competition, such as training camps, competition schedules, logistics and transportation, are exchanged by this group", he highlighted.

Brazilian men’s volleyball team coach and Olympic medallist both as an athlete and a coach, Bernardo Rezende is a member of the Committee, and praises the initiative. "All the athletes involved are willing to contribute. Our active participation may help establish excellent services for sport, and at the same time increase our awareness of the complexity involved in the organisation of such a big event. We also end up learning about other areas’ needs".

Daniel Dias, six-time gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympics and world record holder in the swimming S5 class, also praised the role of the Sports Avisory Committee. "I was not sure of what I would find, but now I am quite aware of the important role played by the Committee for the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. My ultimate goal is to help the city of Rio de Janeiro become a national benchmark in accessibility."

For more information contact: bernardo.domingues@rio2016.com

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