Brazilian stars Pele, Cesar Cielo say Rio Olympics in 2016 would change lives in South America

Pele, Cielo back Rio bid for 2016 Olympics

COPENHAGEN — Brazil’s president says he’s not worried about U.S. President Barack Obama’s pitch for Chicago to host the 2016 Olympics.

After all, it was his idea.

“I actually told Obama to come,” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said upon his arrival in Copenhagen. “He said his wife would come, and then I said: ‘It’s important you go because I will go with (my wife) Marisa. That would be two against one.”

Actually, Silva has plenty of help trying to persuade International Olympic Committee members to award the games to Brazil, which aims to become the first South American nation to host the Olympics.

Brazil soccer great Pele and Olympic champion swimmer Cesar Cielo urged IOC members Wednesday to help transform the prospects for young people across South America.

“I traveled the world with football,” said Pele, who was voted the best athlete of the 20th century by the Olympic movement. “Those who have followed my life saw how sports can change lives. I think this is a big asset for members of the IOC.”

Cielo, who won gold in the 50 meters freestyle at the Beijing Olympics, said a new generation of South Americans was ready to welcome the Games.

“If one year completely changed my life I can imagine what the Olympics could achieve for the whole of South America,” the 22-year-old former Auburn University student said.

Rio is competing against Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo to host the 2016 games, which will be decided in a secret ballot Friday.

Silva said he doesn’t see the lobbying effort as a rivalry with Obama and again predicted a win for Brazil.

“I am very optimistic and believe in Rio’s victory,” he said.

Bid officials worked hard Wednesday to assure the IOC that the 2014 World Cup would not overshadow a potential 2016 Olympics.

Rio was put on the defensive by IOC suggestions this month that staging two global events back-to-back would challenge the city’s Olympic marketing strategy.

“The advertising and marketing industry in Brazil is a very competitive one,” Rio 2016 communications director Leonardo Gryner told reporters.

Gryner said Rio had a seven-year Olympics marketing strategy which would go into effect immediately should it win the games.

He also addressed news that a World Cup swimming event scheduled for Rio next month has been canceled after organizers failed to come up with enough funding, saying the national swimming federation had focused its 2009 budget on the July world championships.

“That was proved to be a wise idea,” said Gryner, citing Brazil four medals.

Cielo swept the 50 and 100-meter freestyle events in Rome for Brazil’s first gold medals in 27 years at a swimming world championship.

“Next year we will go back to hosting this (World Cup) event, and that has been confirmed with (swim governing body) FINA,” Gryner said.