2017 SU Bidding Update: FISU Bid Committee meets Chief Minister of the Presidential Secretariat

BRASILIA – On November 4^th, the FISU Evaluation Committee and members of the Brasília Summer Universiade 2017 bid were received by the Chief Minister of the Presidential Secretariat of the Brazil Republic, Gilberto Carvalho.

Hisato Igarashi, Marian Dymalski and Marc Vandenplas met with Gilberto Carvalho at the Presidential Palace, the main office of the executive power inBrazil. With the absence of President Dilma Rousseff, who participates in the G-20 meeting in France, and Vice-President Michel Temer, traveling toSao Paulo, Gilberto Carvalho welcomed the FISU officials and confirmed the federal government support to the candidacy of Brazil to host the Universiade in 2017.

“We know the importance and responsibility to receive an event of the size of the Universiade. We are deploying and learning to circumvent the difficulties of managing twelve World Cup venues for 2014. Next year the city ofRio de Janeiro will receive Rio +20 meeting and the Catholic World Youth Meet 2013 with the presence of Pope Benedict XVI which will gather thousands of people toRio. We will be well trained when the Universiade arrives in our country and we want to take this opportunity to make Brasília a reference point in the international arena”, Gilberto said.

Given the concerns of FISU members about the conditions of the Brazilian authorities to host the three world’s biggest sporting events in sequence – 2014 FIFAWorld Cup, Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the 2017 Summer Universiade – the Chief Minister stressed the commitment of the federal government to the Brasilia candidacy.

“We are aware of the importance of the Universiade and we are able to do it. We learned from the mistakes of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio that improvisation makes everything more expensive and difficult. Those lessons have taught us to work in advance. Therefore, winning the election,Brasiliawill begin right now to work on FISU specifications in short, medium and long term. And the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics will be weighed in synergy with the Universiade, joining forces”, said Gilberto Carvalho.

Finishing the second day of the FISU Evaluation Committee visit in Brasília, the delegation was received by Governor Agnelo Queiroz in his official residence for dinner. “Once again it is a pleasure to welcome you and an opportunity for us to discuss and talk more about the candidacy of Brasilia”, said Agnelo.

(Source: Polyanna Padua, CBDU Media Officer)