Information was delivered on the progress being made on venue construction, with Rio 2016 pointing out that grass is now being laid on the golf course, construction of the Olympic Village is advancing quickly, the Barra Olympic Park is taking shape, and the first stone has been laid in Deodoro. This underlined the progress that had been made since the last IOC Executive Board meeting in Belek, Turkey.
The EB was also informed about the state of progress of some of the key transport initiatives being built ahead of the Games, with two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines now operational and a third BRT and the new metro line 4 both on schedule. These improvements are already making the lives of Cariocas better and will leave a long-term legacy to the city. The Rio 2016 education programme was highlighted, with 500 Rio schools involved and up to two million children expected to benefit nationwide by 2016. The initiative, which promotes the Olympic values through sport, will deliver an important part of the Olympic Movement’s legacy to the host country. The EB was also informed about the first Rio 2016 test event that will be held this August and how this will be a chance for Rio and its citizens to get a first taste of Olympic sport ahead of 2016.
“We have witnessed over the last few months great dynamism in Rio, in particular from the mayor and governor, who are working closely with the Organising Committee and are clearly taking responsibility,” said IOC President Thomas Bach at the end of Wednesday’s meeting. “A big step forward has been made with regard to the organisation of the Games. There is still no time to lose – not a day to lose – but there has been significant progress. Now is a time to look forward, to work together and to deliver great Games for Rio, Brazil and for the world, and not to engage in discussion of the past.”
The EB earlier received updates on the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.