Just as Rio 2016 preparations have received a big boost with the appointment of ex-Reserve Bank president Henrique Meirelles to a top organizing role, Brazil’s new President Dilma Rousseff has made some telling comments about the government´s plans for the 2014 World Cup and how preparations are coming along.
She confirmed they are fully confident of pulling off a successful version of the massive event and that preparations will contribute greatly to the development of the country, with the generation of jobs, income and new investments in infrastructure. Dilma´s comments came in her regular column titled ‘Ask the President’ in response to a question from a housewife from Santos, Sao Paulo, in relation to fears that the country will not be ready for the Cup.
She also pointed to their latest figures that the preparations and event will create 330,000 new permanent jobs plus 400,000 temporary ones, while investment in infrastructure will reach R$33 billion, 68% of this coming through government channels.