Rio de Janeiro, 8 November 2013 – As part of the celebrations to mark 1,000 days until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a milestone which will be reached this Saturday (November 9th), the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Government inaugurated today an observation tower at the Olympic Park. Standing nine metres high, visitors had a privileged view of some of the most important venues that will be used for the sporting mega-event. The first people to visit the tower – and who were received by Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and the President of the Municipal Olympic Company (EOM), Maria Silvia Bastos Marques – are the governor Sergio Cabral; the executive secretary of the Sports Ministry, Luis Fernandes; the president of the Olympic Public Authority, the Army general Fernando Azevedo e Silva; the president of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman; and members of the City Council, a body which is made up of citizens from different sectors of Rio’s society who contribute to the development of the city.
During this first visit, the group were able to observe important advances in the works, like the first phase of construction of the Tennis Centre, which started at the end of October. More advanced and already in the foundation construction phase are the works on the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the three sports halls that, after the Games, will form part of the Olympic Training Centre (OTC). In the first half of 2014 the remaining three sport venues in the Olympic Park will start to be erected: the Velodrome, the Aquatic Centre and the Handball Arena.
In the construction of the Olympic Park observation tower, the Rio Mais concessionaire recycled part of the grandstand from the old Jacarepaguá Racetrack, which was at the same site. In the future, the tower will form part of a guided tour aimed at students, Brazilian and foreign visitors, public authorities and Rio’s inhabitants in general.
The earthworks of 1.18 million square metres started on 6 July 2012, with the removal of elements of the old Jacarepaguá Racetrack, such as grandstands, asphalt surfaces and additional structures (guard-rails, tyres, internal concrete walls and fences). The infrastructure works – drainage, water, sewage, fire-safety and electricity networks – are on schedule, and the earthworks are in the final phases. The venues constructed for the 2007 Pan-American Games – the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park and the Rio Arena – will undergo some adjustments and be used in the Olympic Games.
For more information, contact Mariza Louven atmlouven@empresaolimpica.rio.rj.gov.br.
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