Sport Advisory Committee of Rio 2016 Appoints Ricardo Prado as President

Ricardo Prado, ex-swimmer and Olympic medallist, took over the presidency of the Sport Advisory Committee of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Committee held a meeting this Tuesday, 25 September, at Rio 2016 headquarters in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

The Committee plans to increase the participation of the members in the planning, operation, promotion and legacy process of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the meeting, the division of the Committee into discussion groups by themes aiming at improving the contribution of its members in specific areas and themes of Rio 2016 was proposed. In a first moment, the groups will discuss themes relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Village, Sport, Ceremonies, Education and Culture.

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

“It is a great honour to be ahead of 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 mandate will be valid until 31 December 2016.

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

According to Agberto Guimarães, a former Olympic athlete and current Sports Director of Rio 2016, the Sport Committee allows the members to apply the experience and knowledge acquired in the competitions to contribute to the staging of a major sport event. “Important experiences are exchanged relating to themes that directly impact the sport activity, such as training camps, competition schedules, logistics and transportation”, he highlighted.

Bernardo Rezende, coach of the Brazilian men’s volleyball team and Olympic medallist as athlete and coach, 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, increasing our awareness of the complexity represented by the organization of such a big event. We also end up learning about other areas’ needs”.

Daniel Dias, Paralympic medallist athlete with six gold medals in London 2012 in men’s S5 50m freestyle with a world record time, also praised the role of the Sport Committee. “I was not sure of what I would find, and after this meeting 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 to become a national accessibility reference”.