(ATR) The U.S. Olympic Committee is quick out of the blocks in lining up a top training center for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The USOC signed a letter of intent with famed football club Flamengo last week at its headquarters in Gávea. The agreement is believed to be the first among National Olympic Committees.
"We were six or eight months ahead of the rest of the world," Doug Ingram, USOC senior director for International Games, tells Around the Rings. "They are all knocking at their doors now."
The USOC did not finalize its agreement with its 2012 training site, the University of East London, until after the Beijing Games. But Ingram says that based on his time in Rio during the 2007 Pan American Games, "we knew there was a real dearth of potential facilities out there."
He started investigating sites more than a year ago, using contacts from the Pan Am Games. "Flamengo showed the most promise to develop into a high-performance training center," Ingram says.
The club is 20-25 minutes from the Olympic Village and is across the street from the rowing venue, which means official vehicles can use an Olympic lane to travel even faster.
Facilities Need Upgrades
A report in Brazilian media said the USOC will pay about $400,000 to Flamengo, but the USOC would not comment on the details of the contract.
In lieu of rent, Ingram says, the money would be used to upgrade the facilities.
"We want to make sure the facilities are up to speed," he says.
Flamengo has two 50-meter pools and two 25-meter pools, plus plenty of open space for jogging or calisthenics. There are three full-size gymnasiums, which can easily accommodate sports such as wrestling and fencing. The basketball arena has recently been renovated, but the other two gyms need work.
"It is a gold medal for us, even a historic moment," club president Patricia Amorim said at a press conference. "The mandate recognizes that the current structure depends on many repairs and modernization. The road will be long. Our facilities are poor, although they have improved a lot."
Amorim said the club will receive $ 100,000 from the committee in January.
"Obviously, we're not going to give them enough money to redo everything they need done," Ingram says, "so she needs her board to contribute other money."
Old Can Work Better than New
Beijing Normal University and the University of East London were both new facilities when the USOC signed its agreements, but Ingram says that can be good and bad. "Things don't always work the way their architect drew them up," he says. "I like the idea of going with a basic infrastructure and layering what we need to make it work for us."
Ingram says another factor in choosing Flamengo was its people. Amorim is the first female president of any major Brazilian football club. "It doesn't hurt that she's a former Olympic swimmer for Brazil," Ingram says. "The people she's brought in to work with us all have the same quality work ethic and positive attitude about making this work for both parties."
He says he was also impressed that Flamengo turned away other NOCs, saying discussions were already in progress with the USOC. "They said, 'Don't even make an offer,'" he says. "I like that attitude. Some get into bidding wars."
Flamengo, which is the home club of Olympic champion freestyler Cesar Cielo, also hopes to engage in some exchange programs with the USOC.
Other Sites to be Located
Flamengo offers no housing for athletes and staff, unlike Beijing Normal. "I did start a memo of understanding on some housing options in this trip," Ingram says.
He is also scouting a couple of military bases for an athletics track, which Flamengo does not have, but does not expect to make a decision until after the London Games. In London, the track is also at a separate site about halfway between the University of East London and the Village.
Flamengo's facilities also will not accommodate the sports of equestrian or sailing, so the USOC will find other options.
The USOC will start sending staff and athletes to Rio two to three weeks before the Games. There will be a short break after the Olympics, then the facility will reopen at a reduced capacity for the Paralympics.
According to Brazilian media, Flamengo will not be closed to members during the Games.
Ingram says that security is not an issue. "They did a great job with '07 and for the Olympics will do an even better job," he says. "We don't need to worry about that. We'll leave that to our security guys."
Written and reported by Karen Rosen.
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