Thursday, July 22, 2010

Brazil's Urban Mobility Ahead of the World Cup and Olympics

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, its cities are trying to improve their public transit systems.
The City Fix's Victoria Broadus takes a look at some of the plans underway and the roughly $6.5 billion the government will spend to update its urban mobility systems.

"The federal government has set aside R$7.68 billion (US$4.34 billion) for 'urban mobility' infrastructure improvements in host cities; state and local governments have committed an additional R$3.8 billion (about US$2.15 billion), bringing the total to R$11.48 billion (US$6.48 billion). Private investments will increase this figure. Ideally, transit projects should be nearly complete by the Confederations Cup, which will Brazil will host in 2013 as a prelude to the World Cup.

Federal funds are being administered by Pro-Transporte, a Ministry of Cities program with the objective of promoting 'collective urban transportation projects for physical, economic, and social development, improvements in quality of life, and environmental preservation.'"

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Brazil invites bids for Olympic train

BRASILIA: A high-speed train between Brazil's largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, should be ready in time for the 2016 Olympics, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said yesterday.

"I think that it's completely feasible that we'll inaugurate the project by 2016," Lula said .

"We want the project to be ready for the 2016 Olympic Games." The Brazilian government yesterday published
specifications of the project, with an estimated cost of 33 billion reals (RM30b). It has attracted interest from companies from Europe to Asia. Companies have until Nov 29 to present their bids, before a decision is made on Dec 16.

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Monday, July 12, 2010

Security ops for 2014 World Cup

By Sorrel Moseley-Williams

Although the 2010 World Cup final will take place in South Africa in a mere 24 hours, Brazil has already shifted the current host slightly left of centre stage by confirming its security consultant for the worlds biggest sporting event in 2014.

Israeli firm International Security & Defence Systems (ISDS), a consultancy involved in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, was confirmed as the Brazilian choice for the next FIFA World Cup on Thursday evening.
Although Sao Paulo, Latin Americans wealthiest and most populous city, has yet not been confirmed as a host city, it is currently Rio de Janeiro with the residents from its 600-plus favelas which could up the urban crime rate by targeting visiting fans.

A few weeks ago, Brazils Tourism Minister Barretto Filho said the 2014 host nation would attract more than five million tourists, a substantially larger figure than South Africa which has supposedly received around 350,000.

But dealing with high visitor numbers does not pose a problem for ISDS. Leo Gleser, the security firms president and founder, spoke to the Herald from South Africa.

“In fact we are involved with this years Shanghai Expo which has 78 million people visiting over the course of six months. We are not afraid of dealing with those numbers.

“Next year, Brazil will be hosting the Military Games, a huge event which is bigger than the Olympics with 132 countries participating. The G20 Summit will take place in Rio in 2012, the Confederations Cup will also be held in Brazil in 2013, and the Olympics take place in 2016. It’s a catapult of six years, and Mr. Lula made it very clear today that Brazil is a very serious country.

“I believe that Brazil has a huge economical resolve and that Lula has done a lot of things to put everybody within this economic cycle to get people working and eating.”

Although Brazil is renowned for its economic and sporting prowess, despite the national team only reaching the quarter finals this year, the favela underbelly is also synonymous with the country. With thousands of people living in 600-plus shantytowns, it seems likely that urban crime could be an issue in four years time.
“Brazil isnt fighting its integrating people from the favelas into a better life. Some countries think that security is about shooting. But sometimes security is about understanding the needs of the people and their needs are to work, to be educated, to have healthcare and infrastructure Brazil is now relocating people from the favelas.”
Having spent the past two and a half weeks in Johannesburg, Gleser added what he would be taking away from the 2010 World Cup. “I’ve been here many times and there has been a big change from the people. Everyone is very welcoming and well-educated nobody tries to cheat you and the services industry has been very good. All the bars and cafes in Johannesburg are full, but the reality is that South Africa is not easy — i’ts a problematic country.”

Also discussing the security issue for 2014, Ricardo Teixeira, Brazil’s soccer federation president, said on Thursday: “We sent a huge security group to South Africa, they were here for a few days and they had to analyze the situation and pick on those issues that needed to be sorted.”

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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Brazil Gears Up for 2014 Challenge

By Fabian Werner

When South Africa switches off the World Cup lights on Sunday, the focus will switch to 2014 hosts Brazil, a country desperately hoping to avoid the pitfalls of 1950.

Back then, their much-vaunted national team slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Uruguay in the final, watched by 200,000 people crammed into Rio's mythical Maracana stadium.

"To lose in 2010 could be understood, but to lose in 2014 would be a repeat of 1950 and this is something nobody can imagine," said Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) who is also head of the 2014 organising committee.

Brazil is still mourning the failure of its 2010 team to win a sixth World Cup with Dunga's side losing to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in South Africa.

Their under-performing national team has proved a worrying concern, a dilemma which will be compounded if Brazil, also hosting the 2016 Olympics, fails to deliver a memorable tournament in 2014.

Work on stadia has progressed fitfully with the planned arena of Morumbi in Sao Paulo, a teeming city of 17 million and the country's largest, being cut from the programme by world governing body FIFA for failing to deliver on financial guarantees.

The refurbishment of the Maracana is also causing headaches with tenders for the work estimated at costing 400 million dollars already postponed once.

So far, FIFA had approved six of the 12 host cities - Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Manaus and Porto Alegre.

The construction or renovation of stadia form part of a list of 86 government-backed projects which will cost a total of 13.2 billion dollars.

Organisers expect around three million extra tourists during the tournament, an increase of 79 percent on the traditional annual figure, adding to the problems of choked airports, some of which are close to "operational collapse", according to one study.

"The problem for 2014 is the airports, the airports and the airports," admitted Texeira, during a presentation of the 2014 tournament he hosted in Johannesburg.

"But contracts have been agreed and this question will receive the utmost priority. We have developed a communal transport system."

The bill to renovate 16 airport terminals has shot up to seven billion dollars in order to boost capacity of 66 percent.

Former Brazil star Romario, a world champion in 1994, is doing his bit for the 2014 organisers and said: "I hope it will be a chance to show you the true face of Brazil. You will see what football means to Brazilians. I am sure the atmosphere will be unprecedented.

"We can expect a great fiesta - and I hope we become world champions."

Brazil is about to be an epicentre of sport.

As well as the World Cup, the country will stage the 2013 Confederations Cup, the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Olympics.

"We will organise the best World Cup ever seen on the planet," boasted Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Source