Last fall, after losing previous bids, Rio de Janeiro -- Brazil's
second-largest city -- won the approval of the International Olympic
Committee to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. According to Carlos
Roberto Osorio, secretary general of the Brazilian Olympic Committee,
this time around, Rio had learned from its earlier failed bids and had
the success of hosting the 2007 Pan American Games under its belt. That,
combined with Brazil's "special circumstances" of economic stability
amid the global downturn, helped it to beat out rival cities. In an
interview with Wharton management professor Felipe Monteiro
and Ken Shropshire,
a Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor, Osorio discussed
the winning bid and the challenges that lie ahead.
An edited transcript of the conversation appears below.
Knowledge@Wharton: Thanks, everyone, for joining us. Mr. Osorio, I'll start the conversation off by asking you a very general question. After bidding in the past, Rio finally won the right to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2016. What do you think made Rio the winner this time? What was the winning pitch?
Carlos Roberto Osorio: Bringing the Olympic Games for the first time to Rio -- and to Brazil and South America -- was a long journey. The previous bids were part of a learning process. When we first tried to get the Olympic Games for the year 2004, we had a very basic project, and not a very deep understanding of the Olympic world and the requirements to host the Olympic Games. So, I think what Rio did [this time around] was to find an objective. Rio is a sports city. Brazil is a sports country. Rio is a city that is absolutely tailor made for outdoor sports, and it has beautiful surroundings. Entertainment, leisure, sports and tourism are part of the city's core business. So, to organize major events was always at the core of Rio's plan for development.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Brazil's Gold: How Rio Won Its Olympic Bid - Knowledge@Wharton
Author: Knowledge@Wharton
