Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Summer Olympic Games bid got a boost Wednesday when State Governor Sergio Cabral announced that the Brazilian leg of judo’s foremost international event, the Grand Slam tour, being held July 4-5, will take place at the Maracanazinho Arena, one of the proposed venues for the 2016 Summer Games.
Governor Cabral told the crowd at the announcement, “Brazilian judo is a source of pride for all of us. The choice of Rio as a Grand Slam city is recognition of all the effort and ongoing commitment that Brazil has made in the ongoing development of sport and in the Rio 2007 Pan American Games. Furthermore, it is a fillip for South America, which has never hosted the Olympic Games”.
Rio 2016 President Carlos Arthur Nuzman said, “this Grand Slam will put Brazilian judo centre stage and hopefully lead to even better results for our athletes in the future. The selection of Rio for this prestigious event is also very supportive of our bid to host the 2016 Games. Three months before the IOC makes its selection of host city of the 2016 Games, the eyes of the sports world will be on Rio de Janeiro for this competition”.
