April 2025

It has been nearly 10 years since Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In recent years, a substantial number of legacy projects have been delivered, with a focus on the refurbishment or transformation of Olympic venues. What is the overall Rio de Janeiro vision on the legacy of the Olympic Games and what is the anticipated timeline for the transformation?

Without any disrespect to other Olympic host cities, no city has benefited more from the Games than Rio de Janeiro. So much so that, even after a previous administration interrupted the legacy project for four years, when we returned to city hall in 2021, we resumed the planned transformations set during the preparation for the Games.
We were pioneers in converting an Olympic arena into a municipal school focused on sports, with capacity for 1,000 students. Through nomadic architecture, we dismantled the Future Arena, which hosted handball competitions, and built four new public schools with its materials. We inaugurated the Gentileza Intermodal Terminal, which utilized the steel structures from the International Broadcast Center (IBC), integrating two of the main mobility legacies of 2016: the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and the VLT (Light Rail Vehicle).
We also inaugurated the Transbrasil BRT line, consolidated all transformations in the Port Zone, built the Rita Lee Park within the Olympic Park, and will soon inaugurate the Olympic Museum inside the Velodrome.

Beyond tangible legacy, what can you share about the intangible legacy that Rio anticipated and subsequently inherited from the Games?

The Games made a fundamental contribution to Rio’s international projection as a global city and a hub for major events. This image has been strengthened over the years with the hosting of other world-level events, such as the 19th G20 Summit last year, and the BRICS Heads of State Summit, scheduled for July.
Another way to translate the intangible impact of the Games is through numbers. A study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, released in July 2024, showed that the Olympic Games legacy projects generated an impact of US$ 17.3 billion on the city’s economy in terms of gross production value (GPV) and US$ 8.9 billion in GDP.
In Rio alone, approximately 500,000 jobs were created. This dynamic resulted in US$ 6.3 billion in income for Rio’s families. In addition to these numbers, one of the most important legacies is the establishment of hosting sports events as a means for urban development and promoting the well-being of citizens.

Which legacy achievement are you the most proud of and why?

I always argue that the greatest legacy left by the Olympic Games was the set of transformations that improved people’s lives.
But if I had to point to something concrete, I would highlight two: the urban renewal of the Port Zone and the new municipal mobility system. An abandoned area of the city was completely revitalized and is now reaching its peak. In recent years, over ten residential launches, totaling more than 10,000 apartments, some already delivered, have been launched in the Port Zone. Over the next few years, about 30,000 people are expected to move into the region. This represents an urban, infrastructural, historical, and cultural renaissance that also allowed us, for example, to recover the Valongo Wharf — an archaeological site that served as the main entry point for enslaved people into Brazil and South America. In terms of mobility, we built over 150 kilometers of BRT corridors, implemented the VLT in the Port and Downtown areas, and built a new metro line. Thanks to these initiatives, the share of the population using high-capacity public transportation more than tripled, rising from 18% to 65%.

What is Rio’s policy regarding sports in terms of elite athletes & clubs on one hand and grassroots programmes and sport for all on the other? How does the City combine the two approaches?

Our goal is clear: to promote universal access to sports, invest in grassroots sports, and support elite sports. Our success begins with the organization of a sports event calendar, which this year has a total of 350 events scheduled — an 8.7% increase compared to the 322 events held in 2024. Currently, alongside the city of Niterói, we are bidding to host the 2031 Pan American Games to further boost sports development in our municipalities. We launched the “Rio Em Forma” program, with 1,045 hubs throughout the city offering 45 activities for all ages, currently benefiting 71,277 people. We have 26 Community Sports Centers offering 86 free activities to 58,000 people — 2,500 of whom are people with disabilities. In direct support of elite sports, we created Team Rio, which currently includes 36 Olympic and 24 Paralympic athletes. These multiple initiatives complement each other, creating a sports development chain across the city — from discovering new talent and encouraging regular physical activity among the population to supporting and recognizing elite athletes.

This year, the World Union of Olympic Cities will meet in Seoul and PyeongChang for the Olympic Legacy Forum and the smartcities & sport summit. Technology and innovation will be at the heart of the discussions. How has Rio de Janeiro engaged in this new wave of sport & tech?

The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games marked a turning point for the city in adopting sustainable practices and innovative and technological projects through sports. Sporting competitions became a strategic element in positioning Rio as a smart city. The Rio Operations Center (COR) was the first Olympic facility delivered by the City Hall to Rio’s citizens. Inaugurated in December 2010, its legacy continues 24/7. By integrating 50 public agencies and utilizing more than 3,500 cameras, COR monitors the daily life of the city in critical areas such as urban mobility and meteorology, always aiming to anticipate solutions and minimize the impact of incidents. Other successful initiatives include the implementation of the high-capacity BRT transport system, which has removed thousands of vehicles from the streets daily; the complete revitalization of the formerly degraded Port Zone; and the use of nomadic architecture, which transformed a sports arena into four public municipal schools.
All of these projects have had a decisive impact, not only structurally but mainly on improving the quality of life for citizens. Additionally, we have been attentive to the rise of the Gaming and Esports industry and its impact, particularly on youth. In 2022, we created the Games and Esports Office to monitor this evolution and propose initiatives, such as the creation of Brazil’s first Public Gamer Arena, which celebrated its first anniversary in March. During this period, it hosted 44 events, including national and regional championships, game launches, movie exhibitions, and tournaments, reaching a total audience of 8,100 people.

What are Rio de Janeiro’s expectations regarding the Union and how do you think the City can contribute to the development of the association?

Initially, we are always eager to learn from the experiences of other cities. After all, the best contribution Rio de Janeiro can offer is to share knowledge and foster dialogue to find solutions that allow cities and sports to work increasingly hand-in-hand to promote development and the well-being of their citizens.