6/10/2009 - Congratulations to Rio de Janeiro

Seb, LOCOG Chair, 2 Oct 2009

I congratulate the whole Rio de Janeiro team.  This has been a long, tough campaign.  All four cities would have delivered great Games.

We are delighted to be handing over to Rio de Janeiro who put young people at the forefront of their bid.  The Games are now going to a continent that has never staged them before providing an extraordinary opportunity to transform the lives of 200 million South American young people through sport.

I look forward to welcoming Carlos Nuzman and his team back to London to share our experiences and build on the London legacy. “