The presidents of the National Olympic Committees of the 15 country members of the Organizacion Deportiva Sudamericana (ODESUR) unanimously signed a proposition Monday at their 21st General Meeting, to support Rio de Janeiro’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
According to a Madrid 2016 media release the South American countries consider the South American bid to host the 2016 Games extremely important to the development of sports on the continent. Secretary General of the Argentine Olympic Committee, Hernan Ferrari, said, “South America is a continent with a long tradition in Olympic sports. It is time for the Olympic Movement to reach South American sports and make us honoured to host the Olympic Games. The 2016 bid is a desire of all of us and it expresses the feeling of the whole continent”.
The President of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and ODESUR Treasurer, Ramon Zubizarreta, said that “the victory of Rio de Janeiro and, consequently, the novel staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in South America will contribute to turn the Olympic Games into a truly universal event”.
The President of the Olympic Committee of Guiana, M.K.. Juman Yassin, said, “the successful staging of Rio 2007 Pan American Games made me proud of being South American. From now on our continent will be united to support Rio 2016 campaign aiming at fulfilling the collective dream of South American athletes – the Olympic Games in South American”.