BRAZIL: OLYMPICS: Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes says he will present a new location for the 2016 Olympics' Media Village to organizers while the IOC's Coordination Commission visits the city
Record ID:
331871
BRAZIL: OLYMPICS: Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes says he will present a new location for the 2016 Olympics' Media Village to organizers while the IOC's Coordination Commission visits the city
- Title: BRAZIL: OLYMPICS: Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes says he will present a new location for the 2016 Olympics' Media Village to organizers while the IOC's Coordination Commission visits the city
- Date: 19th March 2014
- Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (MARCH 19, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LARGE MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES RIO DE JANEIRO MAYOR, EDUARDO PAES, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS OUTSIDE MEETING CAMERAMEN FILMING PAES (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) RIO DE JANEIRO MAYOR, EDUARDO PAES, SAYING: "What we are going to propose here is a program, a partnership between the city and the federal government, 'My house, My life.' You don't have to pay any rent, in reality you are creating social housing and then after the Olympics it will be for the poorer people of the city. It's a different type of legacy and we have to understand that. What is definite, that's important to the Olympics? All the big plans, you have all the sporting equipment confirmed, a big part of them already being constructed, you have all the big urban interventions defined. Now, you are always going to have to be permanently adjusting, and adjusting means economy, I will always defend that. Lets search for alternatives, see how we can move forward, and I think it is more correct to wait to sees what the Olympic committee's position is." PAES SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AGAIN
- Embargoed: 3rd April 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Brazil
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA3A87GKAGNYWZBPDDQNFIO2XC8
- Story Text: The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Coordination Commission began meetings in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday (March 19) to discuss the 2016 Games.
This is the first time the commission has visited the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games since the closing of the 2014 Winter Games in Socchi.
Wednesday's meeting with the Local Organizing Committee and other officials was led by the Commission's Chair, IOC Vice-President Nawal El Moutawakel.
The Commission is hoping to get a clear picture of Rio's progress preparing for the Games as it meets over the next three days with local organizers and partners. There will also be time for scheduled visits to future venues along with discussion of transportation challenges, test even planning and legacy.
Rio has been the target of criticism and concern as many worry whether the city will be able to prepare itself in time to host the Games in 2016.
For the self-appointed 'Marvellous City' to be ready it will have to build and modernize a great deal more infrastructure than London had to for the 2012 Games.
Pressure on Rio has been mounting and the IOC has stated publicly the city has no more time to waste and needs to win over the hearts of the Brazilian people.
Rio organisers have yet to start construction on their second Olympic park in Deodoro and it is believed by the IOC that there are outstanding issues related to government support.
Outside the meeting, Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes said he had plans to present to the Commission an alternative location for the Media Village that would leave a different social legacy than the one he had originally wanted tied to renovating the city's port district.
"What we are going to propose here is a program, a partnership between the city and the federal government, 'My house, My life.' You don't have to pay any rent, in reality you are creating social housing and then after the Olympics it will be for the poorer people of the city. It's a different type of legacy and we have to understand that. What is definite, that's important to the Olympics? All the big plans, you have all the sporting equipment confirmed, a big part of them already being constructed, you have all the big urban interventions defined. Now, you are always going to have to be permanently adjusting, and adjusting means economy, I will always defend that. Lets search for alternatives, see how we can move forward, and I think it is more correct to wait to sees what the Olympic committee's position is," Paes said.
The five-year-old My House, My Life program is a government-housing measure that currently provides no to low cost homes to over 200,000 residents in Rio de Janeiro state.
Paes believes that his new proposal will allow the city to build additional homes for those that cannot afford one on their own and thus add to the positive legacy the government wants to leave after the Olympics have come and went.
The IOC Commission will be in Rio through Friday (March 21). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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