LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Officials from Rio de Janeiro submitted documents Friday in support of the Brazilian city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
Rio is the second of seven applicants to hand over the files to the International Olympic Committee before Monday’s deadline.
Tokyo, which hosted the Olympics in 1964, submitted its files on Thursday.
“We came here to tell the world that Rio is ready for the 2016 Olympic Games,” the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral, said. “We will throw the greatest party ever.”
The documents are in response to a detailed IOC questionnaire covering details of sports venues, financing, security, transportation, accommodation and other issues.
Rio said it would build on the legacy of the 2007 Pan American Games, which it hosted, and from the fact that the soccer World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2014.
The giant Maracana stadium would be used for the opening and closing ceremonies, while the Sambodromo stadium that hosts the city’s annual carnival parade would be used for the archery events and the marathon
Rio’s Copacabana beach would be the venue for beach volleyball, triathlon and swimming marathons.
Rio would be the first South American city to host the Olympics.
The other bid cities are Baku, Azerbaijan; Chicago; Doha, Qatar; Madrid, Spain; and Prague, Czech Republic.
Chicago shipped its bid files to the IOC on Wednesday by Federal Express. Madrid officials are expected to deliver their dossier in person on Monday. Doha, Prague and Baku also expected to meet the deadline.
All seven cities are expected to publicly release the documents on Tuesday.
The files will be examined by a panel of IOC experts, who will compile a report for the ruling IOC executive board. The board will cut the field to a shortlist of finalists in June, while the full IOC will pick the host city on Oct. 2, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
