Rio eyes revival in runup to Olympics

Despite the pressure of organizing the world's premier sporting competition, Maria Silva Bastos Marques, president of Rio de Janeiro's Municipal Olympic Company, seems to be taking it in her stride.

"There are only 24 hours in a day," she joked, referring to the difficulties facing the city.

But Rio is making use of every single hour as it prepares for the 2016 summer games.

It is no secret that Rio, like any other city hosting the Olympics, faces many challenges.

Transportation, infrastructure, security and urban planning all require billions of dollars in investments. To add to the weight on the city's shoulders, Rio will also host seven matches of the 2014 Soccer World Cup.

So far, the city has been able to finance many of the necessary projects with local, state and federal funds supplemented by public-private partnerships and private investment. There are still many investment opportunities in almost every sector related to the Games.

To ensure the city is ready to deal with complex projects, authorities established the Municipal Olympic Company, and Bastos Marques, a renowned economist, was chosen to lead it in August 2011.

"For me, the Olympics represent a unique opportunity to have a project that can change the city forever. The Olympics bring the need and the urgency, but it is also about the legacy of the city," she said upon assuming her new role.

She has taken responsibility for preparing the city to host the Games, but she is also looking further ahead and demanding that whatever is done for the Games is also done for the future of the city.

"Through the work we are doing, we will ultimately improve the city for its inhabitants," she explained.

She is charged with overseeing preparations for the Games as well as plans to utilize Olympic facilities and infrastructure to make a lasting impact on the city. After the games, the sports venues and new developments are expected to form a reference for the city in terms of urban planning and sustainability.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes was responsible for hiring Bastos Marques, and he is also clear about how the city's preparations are coming along. "We are doing very well in preparing for the games," he recently told local media.

Getting ready for a grandiose party is one art Brazil, home to "Carnaval", has mastered, Paes said.

(China Daily 04/30/2012 page12)