If it was, 'we would have have come to Chicago,' Rogge claims
The Olympic movement doesn't choose host cities on the basis of who offers the best marketing opportunities, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said Monday.
If that was the case, Chicago would now be celebrating as the host of the 2016 Summer Games, he said.
"It is clear that the IOC in its choice has not chosen, as it was criticized many times before, for the money. Had we had big money as a consideration, we would have come to Chicago, that is quite sure. That shows that money is not the driving force in the choice of an Olympic city," he insisted.
Rogge's comments came as questions about Rio de Janeiro's victory took over the closing press conference of the 13th Olympic Congress. The three-day conference, which followed the selection of the host city for the 2016 Games, looked at the values of the Olympic movement and how it can become more relevant in society.
But delegates at the congress raised questions about the growing expense and bureaucracy of the bidding process.
Several influential IOC members -- including Sweden's Gunilla Lindberg and Switzerland's Denis Oswald -- said changes are needed, especially to prevent "sympathy votes" from members for bids that have no real chance of success.
It is believed those "sympathy votes" were partially responsible for Chicago being knocked out in the first round of voting on Friday, even though it was widely considered a favourite alongside Rio.
Rogge said while the congress wasn't supposed to deal with such matters, he heard the concerns, especially since they related to the 2016 process.
"The congress is concerned there is a need to control the cost, size and complexity of the Games, but to also get it to a level that it would allow candidate cities of emerging countries to be selected."
The IOC may look at cutting the year-long applicant process in half, as well as other measures, he said.
Insiders have said the selection of Rio, with its untried sponsorship markets and emerging economy, could jeopardize the Olympic movement's financial stability. About half of the money the IOC gets from broadcast rights and sponsorship fees is used to support sport development through national Olympic committees and sports federations.
"I don't think personally there will be a significant diminishing of the revenues of the Olympic movement. But wait and see," Rogge said.
The thorny issue of human rights, which became a central public theme during the 2008 Beijing Games, also arose during the congress. Minky Worden, a delegate from Human Rights Watch, proposed the IOC establish a broad commission on human rights that would examine countries' records. Her recommendation was not adopted.
"We have the responsibility to work for the respect of human dignity within the sphere of sport. We cannot be held responsible for everything that happens in the world," Rogge argued.
Within the sports sphere, however, the IOC will seek "the best possible, objective unbiased information" and advice from human rights organizations, including groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Council, he said.
He also said the Olympic movement continues to be strongly opposed to "the trading of nationalities and passports" by rich countries seeking athletes who can deliver gold medals.
The congress wants a code of conduct and certification system to protect athletes' rights when dealing with agents, managers and sponsors.
The congress also raised concerns about the treatment of athletes during and after their Olympic careers, and about the growing digital divide that threatens to separate the Olympic movement from young people. It tabled 66 recommendations, all of which will now be studied, Rogge said. - source
***
This is good to hear that the decision on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was not based on money alone. The Olympic spirit is more than that.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Yes we can stage the 2016 Olympics: Brazil
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has compared Rio de Janeiro's journey to front runner in Friday's 2016 Olympic Games vote with his own remarkable rise from humble origins.
"Brazil has shed its complex of being considered a second rate citizen," Lula told a press conference here Thursday ahead of what promises to be a frantic 24 hours final lobbying to sway any remaining wavering IOC members.
"There was a time when we regarded ourselves as inferior, like in an election when voters would have regarded a working class man such as myself as uneducated and unprepared to win.
Here history is repeating itself.
"The Olympic Games generally goes to highly-developed countries, except China and Mexico in 1968," Lula said.
"What we want to show is that Brazil is the only country in the top ten that hasn"t had the Games.
"Brazil has much more self esteem today, the country is experiencing a magical moment - even in this global crisis Brazil is better situated than better developed countries."
Lula, just like his US counterpart Barack Obama with Chicago, has invested a huge amount of personal stock in Rio's 2016 bid and said Brazil had never been in a better position to host the Games.
"We are enjoying an exceptional economic period. The global crisis hit us last and we got out of it first.
"We created 240,000 new jobs last month - one million new jobs this year. We want to take advantage of our deep sea oil fields - Rio is ready from the point of view of infrastructure and the city is prepared in body and soul to organise these Games," he said.
The charismatic 63-year-old stressed that the Olympics were much more than a budget issue.
With the Games you have to open up your country to the rest of the world - to see Brazil like it truly is.
"You can't put a price on that, it's priceless, showing Rio's good and bad points, learning to correct the bad things.
"We still have much to do, but we will do it, we are changing the social reality of the poor living in slums - the recovery in our country is unquestionable.
"For other countries the Olympics is just another sporting event - for us it will be unique and extraordinary, a chance to build things that will last as a legacy for other generations."
Lula was asked for his reaction should Rio lose Friday's vote in which the South American city is said to be running neck and neck with Chicago with Tokyo and Madrid also in the hunt.
He replied: "I'm not working on the idea that we will be defeated, but I'll have no feeling of injustice if Rio loses because I love democracy.
"But the fact is no one has presented a project like ours.
"We want to show the world that it's not only in America that you can say "Yes we can" - we're saying "yes we can" organise these Olympic Games. - source
***
I'm sure Brazil can! It's time for them to show that they are no longer a second-rate country.
"Brazil has shed its complex of being considered a second rate citizen," Lula told a press conference here Thursday ahead of what promises to be a frantic 24 hours final lobbying to sway any remaining wavering IOC members.
"There was a time when we regarded ourselves as inferior, like in an election when voters would have regarded a working class man such as myself as uneducated and unprepared to win.
Here history is repeating itself.
"The Olympic Games generally goes to highly-developed countries, except China and Mexico in 1968," Lula said.
"What we want to show is that Brazil is the only country in the top ten that hasn"t had the Games.
"Brazil has much more self esteem today, the country is experiencing a magical moment - even in this global crisis Brazil is better situated than better developed countries."
Lula, just like his US counterpart Barack Obama with Chicago, has invested a huge amount of personal stock in Rio's 2016 bid and said Brazil had never been in a better position to host the Games.
"We are enjoying an exceptional economic period. The global crisis hit us last and we got out of it first.
"We created 240,000 new jobs last month - one million new jobs this year. We want to take advantage of our deep sea oil fields - Rio is ready from the point of view of infrastructure and the city is prepared in body and soul to organise these Games," he said.
The charismatic 63-year-old stressed that the Olympics were much more than a budget issue.
With the Games you have to open up your country to the rest of the world - to see Brazil like it truly is.
"You can't put a price on that, it's priceless, showing Rio's good and bad points, learning to correct the bad things.
"We still have much to do, but we will do it, we are changing the social reality of the poor living in slums - the recovery in our country is unquestionable.
"For other countries the Olympics is just another sporting event - for us it will be unique and extraordinary, a chance to build things that will last as a legacy for other generations."
Lula was asked for his reaction should Rio lose Friday's vote in which the South American city is said to be running neck and neck with Chicago with Tokyo and Madrid also in the hunt.
He replied: "I'm not working on the idea that we will be defeated, but I'll have no feeling of injustice if Rio loses because I love democracy.
"But the fact is no one has presented a project like ours.
"We want to show the world that it's not only in America that you can say "Yes we can" - we're saying "yes we can" organise these Olympic Games. - source
***
I'm sure Brazil can! It's time for them to show that they are no longer a second-rate country.
Brazil looks to transform sporting greatness into gold on world stage
In Lapa, the fashionable centre of Rio de Janeiro nightlife, the partying was long and memorable. On Copacabana beach, the sand was packed with revellers. Pelé cried, and his compatriots celebrated the latest evidence that for one of the world's most glamorous, charismatic countries the good times are starting to roll. So often described as belonging to a "country of the future", Brazilians found themselves living in the present this weekend.
Minutes after Rio de Janeiro was announced on Friday as the venue for the 2016 Olympics, the South American city's sprightly 39-year-old mayor, Eduardo Paes, logged on to his Twitter account and summed up the feelings of all of Rio's six million residents. "Our city deserves this present," he trumpeted. "Viva Rio".
Across Brazil, even in the remote towns of the Amazon rainforest, the same sentiment was being expressed. For Brazilians this was a victory that both Rio and Brazil richly merited – not simply because South America has never hosted the Games before, nor because Rio's residents, weary of violent crime and the city's crumbling infrastructure, were in need of a distraction from their often difficult day-to-day lives.
Above all, they say, this victory was deserved because, for Brazilians, winning the race to host the 2016 Olympics was confirmation that their country was at last acquiring a swagger and an influence beyond the football pitch, which Pele and so many others have graced with distinction. "It is difficult to believe that a third world country has reached this point," declared Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the decision was announced, with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
"We have left behind being a second-rate country to become a first-rate one. Respect is good and we are happy to receive it," he added.
Brazil, as President Lula has frequently commented of late, is living through a "special moment". Rising exports, a commodities price boom and the government's investment in social policies have helped millions of impoverished Brazilians rise from poverty since the leftwing leader came to power in 2003. The IMF says that Brazil, and other countries in the region, have weathered the global financial crisis "rather well".
In the second quarter of this year, the Brazilian economy grew by 1.9% and is forecast to expand by 5.3% in 2010 – numbers that Britain's chancellor, Alistair Darling, would kill for. The games will bring hard cash as well as prestige to the Latin American nation, which has the biggest economy in the region and the ninth largest in the world. A government-commissioned study by the Fundação Instituto de Administração estimates there will be a $24.5bn boost between now and 2027, thanks to increased spending by tourists, growth in employment and construction, and higher tax revenues.
Many believe that Rio, too, is on the rise. After years of neglect and urban violence, investments are gradually returning to Brazil's former capital, bolstering an economic and cultural boom that has already seen dilapidated areas of the city centre redeveloped with many others expected to follow suit. For the ambassadors of Brazil's cultural capital, the International Olympic Committee's decision was a boon beyond measure.
"From the business point of view this is one of the best pieces of news imaginable," said Isnard Manso, a cultural impresario and dancer from the Centro Cultural Carioca, one of Rio's top samba clubs. Manso said the "double-whammy" of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics could help transform Rio's historic centre, fuelling a cultural "turnaround" that has been under way since the beginning of the decade.
Rio's fledgling renaissance mirrors a national boom that the Brazilian government hopes will transform the country into one of the world's leading political, economic and oil powers. In 2007 its fortunes received a potentially vast boost with the discovery of huge offshore oil reserves that could help turn the country into an even bigger hitter on the international stage.
"We are certain that there is an immense quantity of oil that could turn Brazil into one of the world's great oil powers," Dilma Rousseff, President Lula's chief of staff, said last week. "While the entire world is facing immense difficulties… we are discussing abundance," she added, boasting: "We went into the [economic] crisis last and are coming out of it first and on top of this we have one of the greatest patrimonies to administrate."
Diplomatically, too, Brazil, a member of the G20, which has eclipsed the power of the G8, is starting to flex its increasingly toned muscles. During a recent meeting with foreign correspondents in Rio, the foreign minister, Celso Amorim, said: "Obviously, Brazil was always one of the world's biggest countries in terms of size and population. Today Brazil is one of the biggest and most stable economies. Our currency is one of the most stable on earth. Our democracy is totally consolidated… Today, I think, we have an international attitude which corresponds to our true greatness."
Much of this new "attitude" is down to President Lula, who has led the way for a number of increasingly prominent South American presidents who are helping to put the so-called "forgotten continent" back on the map.
Recent years have seen Lula, a one-time shoeshine boy and firebrand union leader, transformed into a respected international statesman who is now considered a future contender for the presidency of the World Bank and was recently referred to as "my man" by US President Barack Obama as a result of his continued domestic popularity.
"At this moment… what is happening again in the world is that there is no longer one single owner of the truth," Lula told his weekly radio show Breakfast with the President, after last month's G20 meeting.
John Hawksworth, head of macro-economics at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says that the so-called E7 – or Emerging Seven – nations of Brazil, China, India, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia and Mexico could overtake the G7 in the next two decades.
The rise of climate change on the international agenda has also turned Brazil, home to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, into a key diplomatic player.
"A Copenhagen agreement without Brazil would be like Kyoto without the United States," Ed Miliband, Britain's secretary for energy and climate change, said during a recent visit to Brazil, referring to December's summit on climate change in the Danish capital.
Brazil still has its vast armies of the poor. Despite Lula's efforts to alleviate the suffering of the poor, Brazil's favelas still exist alongside wealthy enclaves. The country has one of the highest levels of inequality on the planet, with the richest 10% in possession of half the nation's income while less than 1% trickles down to the poorest 10% of households. But such questions were pushed into the background yesterday as Rio continued to celebrate its "deserved" victory.
"From an artistic point of view, as a dancer and a cultural producer, this will… give us a unique chance to show the entire world that samba is not just about the bottoms of half-naked ladies parading through the sambadrome," said Manso, one of Rio's leading samba businessmen and dance instructors. "It is great news."
He will not be the only Brazilian dancing tonight. -source
***
Brazil would have to prepare themselves real well for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Everybody, from rich and poor, should be preparing for the event.
Minutes after Rio de Janeiro was announced on Friday as the venue for the 2016 Olympics, the South American city's sprightly 39-year-old mayor, Eduardo Paes, logged on to his Twitter account and summed up the feelings of all of Rio's six million residents. "Our city deserves this present," he trumpeted. "Viva Rio".
Across Brazil, even in the remote towns of the Amazon rainforest, the same sentiment was being expressed. For Brazilians this was a victory that both Rio and Brazil richly merited – not simply because South America has never hosted the Games before, nor because Rio's residents, weary of violent crime and the city's crumbling infrastructure, were in need of a distraction from their often difficult day-to-day lives.
Above all, they say, this victory was deserved because, for Brazilians, winning the race to host the 2016 Olympics was confirmation that their country was at last acquiring a swagger and an influence beyond the football pitch, which Pele and so many others have graced with distinction. "It is difficult to believe that a third world country has reached this point," declared Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the decision was announced, with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
"We have left behind being a second-rate country to become a first-rate one. Respect is good and we are happy to receive it," he added.
Brazil, as President Lula has frequently commented of late, is living through a "special moment". Rising exports, a commodities price boom and the government's investment in social policies have helped millions of impoverished Brazilians rise from poverty since the leftwing leader came to power in 2003. The IMF says that Brazil, and other countries in the region, have weathered the global financial crisis "rather well".
In the second quarter of this year, the Brazilian economy grew by 1.9% and is forecast to expand by 5.3% in 2010 – numbers that Britain's chancellor, Alistair Darling, would kill for. The games will bring hard cash as well as prestige to the Latin American nation, which has the biggest economy in the region and the ninth largest in the world. A government-commissioned study by the Fundação Instituto de Administração estimates there will be a $24.5bn boost between now and 2027, thanks to increased spending by tourists, growth in employment and construction, and higher tax revenues.
Many believe that Rio, too, is on the rise. After years of neglect and urban violence, investments are gradually returning to Brazil's former capital, bolstering an economic and cultural boom that has already seen dilapidated areas of the city centre redeveloped with many others expected to follow suit. For the ambassadors of Brazil's cultural capital, the International Olympic Committee's decision was a boon beyond measure.
"From the business point of view this is one of the best pieces of news imaginable," said Isnard Manso, a cultural impresario and dancer from the Centro Cultural Carioca, one of Rio's top samba clubs. Manso said the "double-whammy" of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics could help transform Rio's historic centre, fuelling a cultural "turnaround" that has been under way since the beginning of the decade.
Rio's fledgling renaissance mirrors a national boom that the Brazilian government hopes will transform the country into one of the world's leading political, economic and oil powers. In 2007 its fortunes received a potentially vast boost with the discovery of huge offshore oil reserves that could help turn the country into an even bigger hitter on the international stage.
"We are certain that there is an immense quantity of oil that could turn Brazil into one of the world's great oil powers," Dilma Rousseff, President Lula's chief of staff, said last week. "While the entire world is facing immense difficulties… we are discussing abundance," she added, boasting: "We went into the [economic] crisis last and are coming out of it first and on top of this we have one of the greatest patrimonies to administrate."
Diplomatically, too, Brazil, a member of the G20, which has eclipsed the power of the G8, is starting to flex its increasingly toned muscles. During a recent meeting with foreign correspondents in Rio, the foreign minister, Celso Amorim, said: "Obviously, Brazil was always one of the world's biggest countries in terms of size and population. Today Brazil is one of the biggest and most stable economies. Our currency is one of the most stable on earth. Our democracy is totally consolidated… Today, I think, we have an international attitude which corresponds to our true greatness."
Much of this new "attitude" is down to President Lula, who has led the way for a number of increasingly prominent South American presidents who are helping to put the so-called "forgotten continent" back on the map.
Recent years have seen Lula, a one-time shoeshine boy and firebrand union leader, transformed into a respected international statesman who is now considered a future contender for the presidency of the World Bank and was recently referred to as "my man" by US President Barack Obama as a result of his continued domestic popularity.
"At this moment… what is happening again in the world is that there is no longer one single owner of the truth," Lula told his weekly radio show Breakfast with the President, after last month's G20 meeting.
John Hawksworth, head of macro-economics at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says that the so-called E7 – or Emerging Seven – nations of Brazil, China, India, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia and Mexico could overtake the G7 in the next two decades.
The rise of climate change on the international agenda has also turned Brazil, home to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, into a key diplomatic player.
"A Copenhagen agreement without Brazil would be like Kyoto without the United States," Ed Miliband, Britain's secretary for energy and climate change, said during a recent visit to Brazil, referring to December's summit on climate change in the Danish capital.
Brazil still has its vast armies of the poor. Despite Lula's efforts to alleviate the suffering of the poor, Brazil's favelas still exist alongside wealthy enclaves. The country has one of the highest levels of inequality on the planet, with the richest 10% in possession of half the nation's income while less than 1% trickles down to the poorest 10% of households. But such questions were pushed into the background yesterday as Rio continued to celebrate its "deserved" victory.
"From an artistic point of view, as a dancer and a cultural producer, this will… give us a unique chance to show the entire world that samba is not just about the bottoms of half-naked ladies parading through the sambadrome," said Manso, one of Rio's leading samba businessmen and dance instructors. "It is great news."
He will not be the only Brazilian dancing tonight. -source
***
Brazil would have to prepare themselves real well for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Everybody, from rich and poor, should be preparing for the event.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Going for Real Gold at the Rio Olympics
Thanks to a strong Brazilian economy and now the 2016 Olympic Games, Latin America is poised to become a gold mine for U.S. companies
1. Flying Down to Rio
One city's loss is another's gain.
After the highly anticipated and mildly shocking Oct. 2 announcement, Chicago won't be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games, thus forgoing a projected $20 billion in tourism revenues and related investment. Winner Rio de Janeiro budgeted $14 billion for the Games—far more than the other finalists—and expects to generate $2.8 billion in revenue, including $570 million in domestic sponsorships, from the event.
The International Olympic Committee's selection process proves that the Olympics are a bigger business than ever, a bellwether of global business developments. The nod for Rio is also a confirmation that the hundreds of millions of dollars American pro sports teams have spent courting a Latin American fan and sponsor base is money well spent.
Rio's receiving the Games is a clear signal that Latin America is an emerging market now mature. Many of the U.S.'s largest companies supported Rio's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, and major sponsors looking to add the 160 million people in South America under the age of 18 to their customer base will be racing each other to get on board within the next few months. The victory gives South America its first Olympics, and shows that the IOC is confident that Brazil can not only execute the 2016 Olympics right on the heels of the 2014 World Cup, it can keep sponsors engaged enough in the territory to sign on for the Games as well as the premier football event.
According to economists, Brazil is leading Latin American countries out of the recession, registering flat to slight growth this year and looking to a 3.5% expansion in 2010. (By contrast, the U.S. economy is estimated to contract by 2.7% in 2009 and grow only 1.5% in 2010.) Factors in Brazil's resilience include 2009 auto sales predicted to reach a record 3 million vehicles; substantial government subsidies; and strong foreign investment including up to $25 billion in Brazilian stock IPOs in 2009 alone.
Selecting Rio was largely perceived as the second-best option for the IOC on the broadcasting revenue front, behind the U.S. Since Rio is one hour ahead of the East Coast, broadcasters can still air such marquee events as swimming and gymnastics live in prime time. The IOC is expected to open bidding for American TV rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics within the next year; U.S. TV rights currently account for half of all IOC revenue. (NBC is paying $2.1 billion for the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, for example.)
2. MLB Playoffs Are Under Way
Now that the Minnesota Twins have defeated the Detroit Tigers, Major League Baseball playoff rosters are set. Five of the eight postseason teams—the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Anaheim Angels—started the season with a payroll above $100 million; at $67 million, the Twins are competing with a payroll $20 million less than the next lowest roster, the St. Louis Cardinals at $87 million. Yet, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig insists this high-end-of-the-scales success rate is an aberration, maintaining the league has the "best competitive balance we've ever had."
Not at all disturbed by this baseball imbalance are playoff broadcast partners TBS and FOX, who look forward to solid big-market ratings and ad sales. TBS reports that ads during its coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series are more than 75% sold out, with takers including Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), BlackBerry (RIMM), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).
-continued.
***
Brazil will truly experience an improvement in economy during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
1. Flying Down to Rio
One city's loss is another's gain.
After the highly anticipated and mildly shocking Oct. 2 announcement, Chicago won't be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games, thus forgoing a projected $20 billion in tourism revenues and related investment. Winner Rio de Janeiro budgeted $14 billion for the Games—far more than the other finalists—and expects to generate $2.8 billion in revenue, including $570 million in domestic sponsorships, from the event.
The International Olympic Committee's selection process proves that the Olympics are a bigger business than ever, a bellwether of global business developments. The nod for Rio is also a confirmation that the hundreds of millions of dollars American pro sports teams have spent courting a Latin American fan and sponsor base is money well spent.
Rio's receiving the Games is a clear signal that Latin America is an emerging market now mature. Many of the U.S.'s largest companies supported Rio's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, and major sponsors looking to add the 160 million people in South America under the age of 18 to their customer base will be racing each other to get on board within the next few months. The victory gives South America its first Olympics, and shows that the IOC is confident that Brazil can not only execute the 2016 Olympics right on the heels of the 2014 World Cup, it can keep sponsors engaged enough in the territory to sign on for the Games as well as the premier football event.
According to economists, Brazil is leading Latin American countries out of the recession, registering flat to slight growth this year and looking to a 3.5% expansion in 2010. (By contrast, the U.S. economy is estimated to contract by 2.7% in 2009 and grow only 1.5% in 2010.) Factors in Brazil's resilience include 2009 auto sales predicted to reach a record 3 million vehicles; substantial government subsidies; and strong foreign investment including up to $25 billion in Brazilian stock IPOs in 2009 alone.
Selecting Rio was largely perceived as the second-best option for the IOC on the broadcasting revenue front, behind the U.S. Since Rio is one hour ahead of the East Coast, broadcasters can still air such marquee events as swimming and gymnastics live in prime time. The IOC is expected to open bidding for American TV rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics within the next year; U.S. TV rights currently account for half of all IOC revenue. (NBC is paying $2.1 billion for the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, for example.)
2. MLB Playoffs Are Under Way
Now that the Minnesota Twins have defeated the Detroit Tigers, Major League Baseball playoff rosters are set. Five of the eight postseason teams—the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Anaheim Angels—started the season with a payroll above $100 million; at $67 million, the Twins are competing with a payroll $20 million less than the next lowest roster, the St. Louis Cardinals at $87 million. Yet, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig insists this high-end-of-the-scales success rate is an aberration, maintaining the league has the "best competitive balance we've ever had."
Not at all disturbed by this baseball imbalance are playoff broadcast partners TBS and FOX, who look forward to solid big-market ratings and ad sales. TBS reports that ads during its coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series are more than 75% sold out, with takers including Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), BlackBerry (RIMM), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).
-continued.
***
Brazil will truly experience an improvement in economy during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Olympic win for Rio de Janeiro well-deserved
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced last Friday, October 2 that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will host the 2016 Olympics. The city beat out Madrid, Tokyo, and yes, our own Chicago. Despite avid support from our nation's President, the South American city of 6.9 million came out on top of the pack. According to an October 2 Yahoo article, "It is Brazil's time," said the country's charismatic president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
And rightly so, I think. It is only fair that South America be given the chance to host the Olympics, and the fact that it will come just two years after an even bigger sporting event, the World Cup, is just incredible. Brazil will be the place to be in five years, and hopefully this influx of tourism brought on by both events will greatly improve the economy there. Now don't get me wrong, I love my country and generally would have liked to see the Olympics held in Chicago. Nonetheless, it is good to see a poorer country get the nomination, and one that is working hard to improve. The three years spanning from 2014-2016 will be exciting ones in Brazil, to say the least.
Americans and people around the world should be glad that a city in South America finally has the opportunity to host such a memorable month of sports. To some it may be hard to decipher why Chicago lost out to Rio de Janeiro, and in the first round of voting, no less. But in looking back to the past two American cities to hold the Olympic games, Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002, the past few games on U.S. soil have not done much for the Olympic reputation. The Atlanta games were made infamous for the bombings that occurred there, while the Winter Games of 2002 were marred by a bribery scandal and logistical problems.
In defeating three more well-developed countries, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., the city of Rio de Janeiro has essentially told the rest of South America that anything is possible. This marks a turning point for a country that still has millions living in poverty, a point that was recognized in the same article. Silva said, "Among the top 10 economies of the world, Brazil is the only country that has not hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the Olympic movement, it will be an opportunity to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture, the sun of our joy and it will also be a chance to send a powerful message to the whole world: The Olympic Games belong to all peoples, to all continents and to all humanity." - source
***
I really think that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will make it. Brazil is still considered to be one of the top 10 economies in the world.
And rightly so, I think. It is only fair that South America be given the chance to host the Olympics, and the fact that it will come just two years after an even bigger sporting event, the World Cup, is just incredible. Brazil will be the place to be in five years, and hopefully this influx of tourism brought on by both events will greatly improve the economy there. Now don't get me wrong, I love my country and generally would have liked to see the Olympics held in Chicago. Nonetheless, it is good to see a poorer country get the nomination, and one that is working hard to improve. The three years spanning from 2014-2016 will be exciting ones in Brazil, to say the least.
Americans and people around the world should be glad that a city in South America finally has the opportunity to host such a memorable month of sports. To some it may be hard to decipher why Chicago lost out to Rio de Janeiro, and in the first round of voting, no less. But in looking back to the past two American cities to hold the Olympic games, Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002, the past few games on U.S. soil have not done much for the Olympic reputation. The Atlanta games were made infamous for the bombings that occurred there, while the Winter Games of 2002 were marred by a bribery scandal and logistical problems.
In defeating three more well-developed countries, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., the city of Rio de Janeiro has essentially told the rest of South America that anything is possible. This marks a turning point for a country that still has millions living in poverty, a point that was recognized in the same article. Silva said, "Among the top 10 economies of the world, Brazil is the only country that has not hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the Olympic movement, it will be an opportunity to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture, the sun of our joy and it will also be a chance to send a powerful message to the whole world: The Olympic Games belong to all peoples, to all continents and to all humanity." - source
***
I really think that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will make it. Brazil is still considered to be one of the top 10 economies in the world.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Rio de Janeiro Wins Bid for 2016 Olympics
Rio de Janeiro was elected host city of the 2016 Olympic Games on Friday, Oct. 2, bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time in the history of the Games.
Rio passionately welcomed the bid. "It will not just be Brazil's games but South America's. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on the continent. It is time to redress the balance. It is time to light the Olympic flame in a tropical country," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
This year's International Olympics Committee meeting was held in Denmark; the candidates were Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro, with Chicago and Rio as the favorites. Everyone expected Chicago and Rio to go all the way, but against the odds, Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting with only 18 out of 98 votes.
There are several rounds of voting and after each vote the country with the lowest number of votes gets eliminated until there is only one country remaining. Rio won this year's bid with a vote of 66 to 32.
Candidates made their bids in an attempt to present his or her country in the best light. Chicago flew President Barack Obama into Denmark to address the IOC. and spent over $50 million dollars trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. The Olympics have not been to the U.S. since the 1996 Atlanta games.
"I have no doubt that it was the strongest bid possible and I'm proud that I was able to come in and help make that case in person," said President Obama after the U.S. lost the bid, according to The New York Times.
Rio made a strong case by presenting a map of where the Olympic Games have been held all over the world, and South America was sparsely empty. Bringing the Olympics to South America would have also opened up an entirely new continent to the Games. "There was absolutely no flaw in the bid," said Jacque Rogge, President of the IOC.
No one can definitively say why Chicago was eliminated in the first round, when everyone predicted Chicago and Rio to go to the end. "Everybody was shocked at the result," said Rene Fasel of the IOC, according to The New York Times. The opinions on why the events carried out as they did vary.
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Yes, the 2016 Olypmics is not just for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but for South America. I think this is what the Americans failed to see by criticizing Obama for pushing for the Chicago bid, when it's really for America.
Rio passionately welcomed the bid. "It will not just be Brazil's games but South America's. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on the continent. It is time to redress the balance. It is time to light the Olympic flame in a tropical country," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
This year's International Olympics Committee meeting was held in Denmark; the candidates were Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro, with Chicago and Rio as the favorites. Everyone expected Chicago and Rio to go all the way, but against the odds, Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting with only 18 out of 98 votes.
There are several rounds of voting and after each vote the country with the lowest number of votes gets eliminated until there is only one country remaining. Rio won this year's bid with a vote of 66 to 32.
Candidates made their bids in an attempt to present his or her country in the best light. Chicago flew President Barack Obama into Denmark to address the IOC. and spent over $50 million dollars trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. The Olympics have not been to the U.S. since the 1996 Atlanta games.
"I have no doubt that it was the strongest bid possible and I'm proud that I was able to come in and help make that case in person," said President Obama after the U.S. lost the bid, according to The New York Times.
Rio made a strong case by presenting a map of where the Olympic Games have been held all over the world, and South America was sparsely empty. Bringing the Olympics to South America would have also opened up an entirely new continent to the Games. "There was absolutely no flaw in the bid," said Jacque Rogge, President of the IOC.
No one can definitively say why Chicago was eliminated in the first round, when everyone predicted Chicago and Rio to go to the end. "Everybody was shocked at the result," said Rene Fasel of the IOC, according to The New York Times. The opinions on why the events carried out as they did vary.
-continued here
***
Yes, the 2016 Olypmics is not just for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but for South America. I think this is what the Americans failed to see by criticizing Obama for pushing for the Chicago bid, when it's really for America.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Daily Video: Rio 2016
With the heightened debate over the location of the 2016 Olympic location, Rio has come out on top. Rio de Janeiro has officially won the prestigious title to host the 2016 Olympics and what a momentous occasion it is for them.
The Olympics is the greatest meeting of all the top athletes in the world competing not for money, not for fame, but for country and pride. I for one wholeheartedly support the decision of the Olympic council to hold the event in Brazil, and here is the video to show why.
-source
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This is a great video! I'm sure the IOC made a correct decision to have the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The Olympics is the greatest meeting of all the top athletes in the world competing not for money, not for fame, but for country and pride. I for one wholeheartedly support the decision of the Olympic council to hold the event in Brazil, and here is the video to show why.
-source
***
This is a great video! I'm sure the IOC made a correct decision to have the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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