Natal’s Aussie influenced Cup project set to leave the paper

The Brazil 2014 Cup stadium with probably the closest existing links to Australia, thanks to the involvement of specialist architecture group Populous, which boasts several high profile Australian designers and projects such as ANZ Stadium (formerly Stadium Australia), is finally set to move off the drawing board with the Natal city government announcing the construction selection process will begin next week.

Football investment opportunity on steps of 2014 Cup host city - ADDED INFO

An established and well-regarded football training centre in the north-east of Brazil is currently seeking outside investors, presenting a potential opportunity for relevant Australian groups looking to gain a foothold in the country or align with Brazilian football ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

Canadians to examine Cup and Olympics opportunities

In a noteworthy move, Canada has organised a trade mission to Rio de Janeiro at the end of September. The one day visit program, organised by Export Development Canada (EDC), will involve key meetings with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, the Rio city council and a number of key Brazilian companies including stadium construction groups Odebrecht and Andrade Guitierrez.

Presidential race reveals more sport-focused plans

In a follow up to this site’s recent reports on Brazil’s two main presidential candidates for the October elections, the presently third-placed hopeful has also made some encouraging promises concerning the future of sport in the country.

White elephant alert highlights need for innovative stadium management

Four World Cup 2014 host stadia have been earmarked as future white elephants by Brazil’s ‘Accounts Tribunal of the Union’. The federal body, which oversees the administrators of public funds, released a report in July warning that the stadium projects for Brasilia, Cuiaba, Manaus and Natal are at risk of losing money following the 2014 Cup, with all four locations lacking a strong football tradition.

Australia's sports excellence to inspire Rio 2016 Olympics preparations

Officials from the Brazilian Ministry of Sport's High Performance Secretariat visited Australia from the 2nd to the 6th August to learn from the Australian experience in hosting the Olympic Games in 2000 and developing high performance athletes. The officials visited sports installations and training centres in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Canberra an Sydney.

Hotel finance boost kicks into action

The first two state-backed finance packages for private hotel developments as part of preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics have just been approved, with a wave of others on the way.

With Cup stadium projects underway, top builders reaping big rewards

Some of Brazil´s biggest construction companies are already taking advantage of the country´s preparations for the 2014 World Cup, with the majority of the lead contractors for stadium projects now decided.

New airline bodes well for Australia-Brazil options

The recently initiated merger plan involving Brazil's TAM and Chile's LAN airlines is likely to create significant benefits for travel between Australian and Brazil. As an existing Partner of Qantas and with a strong presence in Australia, LAN Chile already services a strong portion of Australia to South America travellers, however Brazil flights have always required between one and three stops, usually Auckland, New Zealand and Santiago, Chile before connections with either Sao Paulo or Rio.

International interest in Brazil continues to grow

Providing yet another clear indication of the growing foreign interest in Brazil ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, a trade mission consisting of up to forty companies from Ireland is being organised for November, around the same time as a similar mission currently being planned in Australia.

2014 Cup final stage finally has a builder

The major renovation of Rio de Janeiro´s hallowed Maracanã stadium for the 2014 World cup has moved a step closer to fruition with the selection of a consortium responsible for the works. The Maracanã Rio 2014 consortium, consisting of Brazilian companies Andrade Gutierrez, Odebrecht and Delta, presented the lowest quote of R$705.6 million, which is 2.14% less than the cost predicted in the project budget. The second placed tender, by construction giant OAS, came in at R$712 million.

Athletes and figures show up massive lack of sporting infrastructure in Brazil

The drive to instil a stronger national sport policy in Brazil ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics (and, to a lesser extent the 2014 World Cup) continues unabated with a group of the country’s most well known athletes launching a push to encourage greater and fairer access to sport in schools and municipalities, including a major improvement in Brazil’s sporting infrastructure.

High performance commitment looking a solid bet

Brazilian president hopeful Dilma Rousseff, one of the favourites thanks in part to her being the candidate from the same party as popular incumbent President Lula, has made some encouraging comments for Brazilian sport development during a meeting with the Rio 2016 organising committee.

Fortaleza´s castle to be the home of Cup activity

One of Brazil’s most sought after tourist destinations, Fortaleza ('Fortress'), the capital of the north-eastern state of Ceará, is sure to be a popular spot during the 2014 World Cup. Notable for its beaches - there are 15 on the outskirts of the municipality – the city has a population of around 2.5 million, with 3.4 million in the wider metropolitan area. Importantly, Fortaleza´s tight 313km2 means the city has one of the highest population densities in the country at close to 8,000 per km2.

Security centres for each host city

In an update to last week’s report on new security funding released for 2014 Cup preparations, the federal government has added details about a `command centre` that will be established especially for the event.