Brazilian president borrows from Barack Obama in plugging Rio’s 2016 Olympic bid: ‘Yes We Can’

Brazilian president says ‘Yes we can’ on 2016 bid

COPENHAGEN — Brazil’s president is borrowing Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” catchphrase to plug Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

A day before the International Olympic Committee selects the 2016 host, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted Wednesday that Rio is ready “body and soul” if picked.

He said Brazil has weathered the global economic crisis better than other countries, and he again pointed out that South America has never previously held the games.

While carefully steering clear of criticizing rivals Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo, Silva said “no one has presented a project of the magnitude that we presented.”

He said Brazil wants to “show that the world that yes we can, we can do it.”