The Brazilians have set up the “Brasil House” in Beijing, which will promote everything from Brazilian culture to tourist sports to local coffee, according to Sky Canaves, in Rio de Janeiro’s bid for the 2016 Summer Games. The House will be open until the end of the Games, August 24.
If Tokyo wins the 2016 bid it will build 95 per cent of the competition venues within an 8 km radius of the City Centre, according to Takeda Tsunekazu, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee and vice president of Tokyo 2016. He told a press conference in Beijing Tuesday, “the travel time between any stadium and the living quarters of the athletes would not exceed 20 minutes”.
Meanwhile Ichiro Kono, chairman of Tokyo 2016, dismissed suggestions Monday that having two Olympics in Asia in eight years would hurt its chances. AFP reports Kono saying, “there will be two Olympics in Europe and one in North America within four years of each other so why not two in Asia in eight years”.
Mercedes Coghen, director of Madrid 2016, arrived in Beijing Tuesday. She said on arrival, “we are very excited to be here. I am convinced that the Beijing Games are going to be magnificent and that we are going to be able to learn a lot about how to organize the Olympic and Paralympic Games for 2016”, reports Spanish media.
