Presidential Presence for Aquatics Inauguration in Rio

(ATR) Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff helped inaugurate the Olympic Aquatics Center, one of the final venues finished in the Olympic Park.

Rousseff’s appearance is the first by the President to inaugurate an Olympic Park venue, and comes at a time of crisis in the federal government. Impeachment proceedings have been brought against Rousseff by the lower house of the Brazilian federal government and a vote on April 10 will determine if those proceedings continue to the upper house.

In her speech Rousseff touched on the resolve of Rio de Janeiro to continue to deliver a world class Games amid the turmoil the country is facing.

"I think that today in Brazil, there is a certain atmosphere that I do not call a bad mood, I call ‘for better or for worse,’" Rousseff said. "If we are able to make the Olympics, we will be able to grow our country back. That is why I say that this is a special moment; it is a symbol and an example for Brazil of what is possible when good people come together for the good of the Brazilian people."

Sports Minister Ricardo Leyser and Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman stressed to Around the Rings the importance of President Rousseff visiting the Olympic Park less than four months out from the Games.

"Everything we are doing we need the support of President Dilma," Leyser said. "The presence of the president of the republic is very important because before the Pan American games it was almost impossible for Brazilian sportsmen to be with the President. In Brazil all the support for Brazilian sports comes from the public sector, so if you have the most important politician in Brazil paying attention and understanding it is important."

Nuzman said to ATR that it was a "special moment," for all of the organizers to be visited by the President, especially because of all the support needed for the Games. He added that it was particularly significant to be inaugurating the aquatics venue, especially after the existing other aquatics venue had come under fire from the International Aquatics Federation during preparations.

"This is a fantastic venue, and if we look at the last seven or eight Olympic Games this will be perhaps the best," Nuzman said. "The venue is open, we have the wind, the temperature on the water is the same that we had [at Maria Lenk] for the athletes, and it is a temporary venue only for swimming. I think this will be a success and I have no doubt that the other bid cities will follow this idea."

Leyser added that the long term benefits of the temporary venue will help reduce barriers to access the sport of swimming long after the Olympics. He said that after the Games the facility will be taken apart and transported to poorer areas of the city and reassembled as multiple swimming centers. The temporary architecture is similar to the Future Arena that will house handball during the Olympics and will be reassembled at four schools throughout the city after the venue's use is complete.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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