Mayor of Rio de Janeiro hails ‘outstanding’ London Games

The Mayor Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes has praised London for its ‘outstanding’ 2012 Olympic Games, as he joined the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to outline how their two cities will continue to work together to ensure a smooth handover of the Olympic Flag.

As the 2012 Games come to a close this weekend, the Mayor Boris Johnson is keen to pass on to Rio the lessons London has learnt in hosting the biggest festival of sport in the world, in particular from the massive £6.5 billion upgrade of London’s transport system, which has coped well with record numbers of passengers throughout the past two weeks.

The two Host Cities have been working closely since Rio was awarded the 2016 Games and already UK companies who have worked on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have won twenty contracts linked to Brazil’s hosts of the World Cup and Rio 2016 worth £50m.

Officials from Rio are in regular touch with colleagues at Transport for London for tips on how to keep their city moving during the Games, and have visited London on several occasions to look at the planning and preparations that have been taking place. During the Games itself, delegates from Rio have been involved in an observation programme, assessing how London has staged the event.

The 2012 Games have proved an overwhelming success, with athletes, spectators and the Olympic Family getting to their competitions on time and the excitement of Team GB’s gold rush spreading throughout the city. The Mayor has already pledged £800,000 in funding for grassroots sport in order to build on their inspiring performance and encourage youngsters to take up sport, while London is already benefiting from the huge regeneration which has transformed Stratford and created extensive new transport links, making it one of the best connected parts of the capital.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London is experiencing an unprecedented and remarkable summer, with billions of people witnessing not just some of the world’s greatest sporting achievements, but also the inspiring way Londoners have embraced the Games and helped us put on a fantastic party. We will be doing all we can to pass on to Rio the wealth of expertise and knowledge we have built since London was named Host City in 2005, not least in making sure we have been able keep our city moving with record numbers of visitors.

“Legacy has always been at the heart of London 2012, and nurturing the emerging trade markets of Brazil and other BRIC countries is an essential part of this. I will be working closely with Mayor Paes to secure mutual benefits for both our cities following the 2012 Games.”

Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes said: “We have been very impressed with the London Olympics. It has been an outstanding Games for the city and the world. On the eve of the official handover of the Olympic flag to Rio de Janeiro we look forward to further collaborating with Mayor Boris Johnson and London to ensure a smooth transition from city to city."

The Mayor is planning a series of trips overseas to generate investment for the capital and plans to visit each of the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – with small groups of business leaders over the next 18 months to attract foreign investment, create jobs and growth in London and exploit the enormous potential of these emerging markets.